THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  CALIFORNIA 

LOS  ANGELES 


EDWARD  SOMERSET,   SECOND  MARQUIS  OF  WORCESTER. 


AN   EXACT  REPRINT 

OF  THE  FAMOUS 

Century  of  Inventions, 


THE  MARQUIS  OF  WORCESTER. 

(First  Published  in'l663.) 


INTRODUCTION,  NOTES  AND  A  LIFE  OP  THE  AUTHOR, 


JOHN    PHIN. 


W  TH   PORTRAIT  AFTER  A  PA  NT  NG  BY  VANDYKE. 


NEW  YOEK : 
THE  INDUSTKIAL  PUBLICATION  COMPANY. 

1887. 

Copyright  secured,  1887,  by  John  Phin. 


PREFACE. 


Our  object  in  reprinting  the  famous  "  CEKTUBY  OF  IN- 
VENTIONS," as  it  is  generally  called,  is  not  to  give  any  novel 
solutions  of  the  problems  which  it  sets  forth,  but  simply  to 
place  this  famous  and  exceedingly  interesting  production 
within  the  reach  of  ordinary  book-buyers.  Although  it  has 
been  several  times  reprinted,  it  is  so  scarce  that  copies  are 
to  be  had  only  with  considerable  difficulty.  Of  the  first 
edition,  published  in  1663,  very  few  copies  are  to  be  found 
outside  the  shelves  of  a  few  well-known  public  libraries. 
It  is  said  that  this  is  largely  due  to  the  fact  that  all  the 
copies  that  were  procurable  were  bought  up  and  burned  by 
a  rival  inventor  (Savary),  who  claimed  to  be  the  first  in- 
ventor of  the  steam  engine,  Of  subsequent  reprints  it  will 
be  found  on  inquiry  that  they  have  been  so  much  sought 
after  and  read  that  they  have  been  literally  "thumbed 
out  of  existence,"  as  the  genial  author  of  "The  Book 
Hunter  "  expresses  it  in  regard  to  similarly  popular  books. 

Under  these  circumstances  it  is  to  be  hoped  that  our 
present  offering  will  prove  acceptable  to  a  large  number  of 
those  who  are  interested  in  the  history  of  inventions  and  of 
mechanics. 

J.  P. 

Cedar  Brae, 

October,  1887. 


LIFE 

OF 

EDWARD     SOMERSET, 

SECOND  MARQUIS  OF  WORCESTER. 


Edward  Somerset  alias  Plantagenet,*  Second  Marqu'u  jf 
Worcester,  like  many  of  the  Avisest  and  best  of  this  eartf  — 
nay,  like  the  wisest  and  best — bore  on  his  escutcheon  Jie 
Baston  Sinister.  He  was  descended  from  John  of  Gau  it, 
Duke  of  Lancaster,  son  of  Edward  the  Third.  Charles,  the 
natural  son  of  Henry  Beaufort,  third  Duke  of  Somerset,  in 
that  line,  assumed  the  surname  of  Somerset,  and  from  him 
was  descended  the  famous  author  of  "  The  Century  of  In- 
ventions," who  was  the  eldest  son  of  Henry  Lord  Herbert 
and  Anne,  sole  daughter  and  heir  of  John  Lord  Russell,  eld- 
est son  of  Francis  Russell,  Earl  of  Bedford.  He  was  born 

*  See  Patent  granted  by  Charles  the  First  on  the  1st  of  April,  1644; 
'•  diaries,  by  the  Grace  of  God,  King  of  England,  Scotland,  France 
and  Ireland,  defender  of  the  faith,  etc.,  to  our  right  trusty  and  right 
well  beloved  cousin,  Edward  Somerset  alias  Plantagenet,  Lord  Herbert, 
Baron  Beaufort,  of  Caldicate,  Grismond,  Chopstow,  Ragland  and  Gower, 
Earl  of  Glamorgan,  son  and  heir  apparent  of  our  entirely  beloved 
cousin,  Henry,  Earl  and  Marquis  of  Worcester,  greeting."  Etc.,  etc.,  etc. 


8  LIFE   OF   THE    MARQUIS    OF   WORCESTER. 

early  in  1601  the  exact  date  •'being  unknown.  During  his 
father's  life-time  he  was  known  first  as  Lord  Herbert,  and 
afterwards  as  Earl  of  Glamorgan.  On  the  death  of  his 
father  he  succeeded  to  the  titles  of  Earl  and  Marquis  of 
Worcester. 

His  education  appears  to  have  been  conducted  privately 
under  the  tutorship  of  a  Mr.  Adams.  It  does  not  appear 
that  he  was  entered  at  any  of  the  great  English  colleges, 
though  it  is  possible  that  he  may  have  been  connected  with 
some  foreign  university.  Be  this  as  it  may,  it  is  quite  cer- 
tain that  his  education  was  as  complete  and  thorough  as 
that  of  any  young  man  of  his  time. 

In  the  year  1628  he  married  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  Sir 
William  Dormer.  She  bore  him  one  son  and  two  daughters. 
The  son,  Henry  Somerset,  was  created  first  Duke  of  Beau- 
fort. 

It  is  supposed  that  shortly  after  his  marriage  he  retired  to 
Raglan  Castle  and  devoted  himself  to  study  and  experiment, 
but  of  this  we  have  no  record. 

In  the  year  1635  (May  3151)  he  lost  his  wife,  to  whom  he 
was  greatly  attached.  Four  years  later  he  married  Mar- 
garet, second  daughter  of  Henry  O'Brien,  Earl  of  Thomond. 
He  obtained  by  his  second  wife  some  valuable  possessions, 
and  he  also  became  connected  with  some  of  the  most 
wealthy  and  powerful  families  in  Ireland.  By  his  second 
wife  he  had  one  daughter  who  died  while  quite  young. 

It  is  an  unfortunate  circumstance  that  we  know  very  little 
of  the  daily  life  of  the  Marquis  at  this  period,  and  nothing  at 


LIFE   OF   THE    MARQUIS    OF   WORCESTER.  9 

all  of  his  pursuits,  studies  and  inventions,  except  in  a  most 
general  way.  Even  the  exact  dates  of  important  events  in 
his  life  are  unknown,  and  the  length  of  time  during  which 
he  was  imprisoned  in  the  Tower  is  a  matter  of  conjecture. 
That  he  continued  his  scientific  and  mechanical  pursuits  even 
during  the  early  tumults  of  the  civil  war  is  pretty  certain, 
and  that  some  of  his  inventions  were  put  in  operation,  at 
Raglan  Castle,  on  a  scale  of  considerable  magnitude,  seems 
more  than  probable  from  the  following  anecdote  related  by 
Dr.  Bayly  :  "At  the  beginning  of  this  Parliament  (Nov.  1640) 
there  were  certain  rustics  who  came  into  Raglan  Castle  to 
search  for  arms,  his  lordship*  being  a  Papist.  The  Marquis 
met  them  at  the  castle  gate,  desiring  to  know  whether  they 
came  to  take  away  his  money,  seeing  they  intended  to  dis- 
arm him.  They  stated  that  they  made  the  application  merely 
in  consequence  of  his  being  a  recusant.  To  which  he  re- 
plied, '  He  was  a  peer  of  the  realm,  and  no  convict  recusant, 
therefore  the  law  could  not  in  reason  take  notice  of  any  such 
things.'  Finding  some  sharp  and  dubious  expressions  com- 
ing from  the  Marquis,  they  were  at  last  willing  to  take  his 
word  ;  but  he,  not  willing  to  part  with  them  on  such  easy 
terms,  had  before  resolved  to  return  them  one  fright  for  an- 
other. With  that  view  he  conveyed  them  up  and  down  the 
castle,  until  at  length  he  brought  them  over  a  high  bridge 
that  arched  over  the  moat  that  was  between  the  castle  and 
the  great  tower,  wherein  the  Lord  Herbert  had  newly  con- 

*  The  father  of  the  famous  Marquis. 


10  LIFE    OF    THE    MARQUIS    OF    WORCESTER. 

trived  certain  water-works,  which,  when  the  several  engines 
and  wheels  were  to  be  set  a-going,  much  quantity  of  water, 
through  the  hollow  conveyances  of  the  aqueducts,  was  to  be 
letdown  from  the  top  of  the  high  tower;  which,  upon  the 
first  entrance  of  these  wonderful  asinegoes,  the  Marquis  had 
given  order  that  these  cataracts  should  begin  to  fall,  which 
made  such  a  fearful  and  hideous  noise,  by  reason  of  the  hol- 
lowness  of  the  tower,  and  neighboring  echoes  of  the  castle, 
and  the  waters  that  were  between,  and  round  about,  that 
there  was  such  a  roaring  as  if  ihe  mouth  of  hell  had  been 
wide  open,  and  all  the  devils  conjured  up,  occasioning  the 
poor  silly  men  to  stand  so  amazed  as  if  they  had  been  half 
dead ;  and  yet  they  saw  nothing.  At  last,  as  the  plot  was 
laid,  up  came  a  man  staring  and  running,  crying  out  '  Look 
to  yourselves  my  masters,  for  the  lions  are  got  loose?  Where- 
upon the  searchers  tumbled  so  over  one  another  escaping 
down  the  stairs,  that  it  was  thought  one  half  of  them  would 
break  their  necks,  never  looking  behind  them  until  out  of 
sight  of  the  castle." 

Troublous  times  were  now  approaching.  Charles  the  First 
was  in  sore  need  of  money,  and  Lord  Herbert  and  his  father 
advanced  him  large  loans  from  their  personal  estate.  In 
addition  to  this  they  raised  and  sustained  a  considerable 
body  of  troops.  Up  to  this  time  the  highest  dignity  at- 
tained by  the  family  was  that  of  Earl  of  Worcester.  On  the 
2nd  of  November,  1642,  Henry,  (the  father  of  the  famous 
Edward)  was  created  Marquis  of  Worcester.  The  civil  war 
now  raged,  and  Raglan  Castle  was  garrisoned  by  troops 


LIFE   OF   THE    MARQUIS   OF    WORCESTER.  I  I 

maintained  by  the  Somersets  in  the  interest  of  the  King. 
The  scientific  and  mechanical  skill  of  Lord  Herbert,  (the  fu- 
ture Marquis)  were  here  brought  into  play,  and  a  powder 
mill  was  erected  on  the  estate  and  actively  operated  for  the 
supply  of  ammunition  to  the  royal  troops. 

As  a  military  man,  however,  Lord  Herbert  does  not  seem 
to  have  achieved  much  success.  His  troops  were  defeated 
by  the  Parliamentary  forces,  and  his  pecuniary  losses  were  so 
enormous  that  he  was  made  a  poor  man  for  the  rest  of  his 
life. 

In  1645  he  was  sent  to  Ireland  by  the  King  with  a  commis- 
sion to  raise  a  body  of  10,000  Irish  troops  for  service  in  Eng- 
land to  oppose  the  parliamentary  forces.  To  secure  the  aid  of 
the  Catholics  in  this  effort,  Lord  Herbert,  recently  created  Earl 
of  Glamorgan,  was  empowered  to  offer  the  Romish  dignita- 
ries the  most  liberal  terms,  not  only  as  regarded  toleration, 
but  in  the  matter  of  lands,  titles,  etc.,  to  be  placed  in  their 
possession.  This  arrangement  was,  however,  completely  up- 
set by  certain  wholly  unlocked  for  events.  The  Popish 
Archbishop  of  Tuam,  President  of  Connaught,  and  one  of 
the  Supreme  Council  at  Kilkenny,  going  into  Ulster  to  visit 
his  diocese,  and  put  into  execution  an  order  for  arrears  of 
his  Bishopric,  granted  to  him  by  that  Council,  met  with  a 
body  of  Irish  troops  marching  to  besiege  Sligo,  and  joined 
with  them.  When  they  came  near  that  town,  the  garrison 
made  a  sally  on  the  iyth  of  October,  charged  the  troops,  and 
utterly  routed  them,  killing  the  Archbishop  in  the  en- 
counter. Amongst  the  baggage  of  the  Archbishop  was 


12  LIFE    OF    THE    MARQUIS    OF    WORCESTER. 

found  an  authentic  copy,  attested  and  signed  by  several 
bishops,  of  the  treaty  concluded  with  them  by  the  Earl  of 
Glamorgan.  The  result  of  this  disclosure  was  that  Lord 
Digby  charged  the  Earl  with  suspicion  of  high  treason,  and 
moved  that  his  person  be  secured.  The  charge  being  fully 
substantiated,  the  Earl  was  committed  to  the  custody  of  the 
Constable  of  Dublin  Castle  in  the  condition  of  a  close 
prisoner.  After  a  brief  confinement  he  was  liberated  on 
bail,  but  under  the  condition  that  he  should  not  leave  the 
Kingdom  of  Ireland. 

Meanwhile  Raglan  Castle,  the  family  seat  and  the  scene 
of  his  early  studies  and  experiments,  was  taken  by  General 
Fairfax  after  a  prolonged  seige.  The  letters  and  papers 
were  carried  off  and  the  castle  ordered  to  be  demolished. 
It  is  probable  that  in  the  dispersion  and  destruction  of 
these  papers  we  have  lost  the  records  of  many  of  the  early 
experiments  and  inventions  made  by  the  Marquis. 

These  accumulated  misfortunes  no  doubt  hastened  the 
death  of  his  father,  which  occurred  in  December,  1646. 

Very  soon  after  these  events  matters  were  so  arranged 
that  he  was  enabled  to  go  to  France,  where  he  remained  in 
exile  for  four  or  five  years.  That  some  arrangement  look- 
ing to  his  voluntary  exile  was  made  with  the  government 
is  more  than  probable,  as  the  Marquis  was  too  honorable  to 
leave  in  the  lurch  his  friends,  the  Marquis  of  Clanricarde 
and  the  Earl  of  Kildare,  who  were  on  his  bond  for  ten 
thousand  pounds  each. 

On  the  3oth  of  January,  1649,  Charles  the  First  was  exe- 


LIFE    OF    THE    MARQUIS    OF    WORCESTER.  13 

cuted;  the  commonwealth  was  established  on  the  6th  of 
February  following,  and  the  Protectorate  under  Cromwell  in 
1654.  Meanwhile  Charles  the  Second  had  escaped  to  the 
continent  and  set  up  a  migratory  court.  Although  the 
Marquis  was  not  a  constant  attendant  at  this  court,  he  ap- 
pears to  have  been  in  communication  with  them,  and  in 
1652  he  was  sent  to  England  for  private  intelligence  as  well 
as  for  supplies.  Unfortunately,  however,  he  was  recognized, 
made  prisoner,  and  committed  to  the  tower,  where  he  re- 
mained for  a  period  variously  estimated  at  from  two  to  six 
years.  During  his  confinement  he  wrote  the  famous  book 
known  as  "  A  Century  of  Inventions,"  which,  however,  was 
not  published  until  1663,  though  it  was  supposed  that  sev- 
eral manuscript  copies  were  made  and  circulated  amongst 
his  friends.  One  of  these  is  now  in  the  British  Museum,  and 
is  interesting  on  account  of  certain  slight  variations  from 
the  printed  book. 

In  1660  Charles  the  Second  returned  to  England  and  was 
placed  upon  the  throne  of  his  fathers.  One  would  suppose 
that  a  man  who  had  suffered  so  much  in  attestation  of  his 
loyalty  would  have  been  most  liberally  treated,  but  we  find 
that,  although  the  estates  of  the  Marquis  were  restored,  they 
were  heavily  encumbered  and  greatly  despoiled.  The  tim- 
ber had  been  removed,  the  buildings  were  in  ruins,  and  the 
sources  of  income  were  but  trifling.  He  therefore  took  up 
his  residence  in  London,  where,  in  the  hopes  of  retrieving 
his  fortune,  he  devoted  himself  to  the  prosecution  of  his  studies 


14  LIFE   OF   THE    MARQUIS    OF    WORCESTER. 

and  the  perfecting  of  his  inventions,  though  it  would  seem 
without  any  very  marked  financial  success. 

Four  years  after  the  publication  of  the  "  Century  " — on 
the  3rd  of  April,  1667 — he  died  in  London,  and  on  the  igth 
of  the  same  month  he  was  buried  in  the  family  vault  within 
the  Parish  Church  of  Raglan. 

Such  is  a  meagre  outline  of  the  life  of  the  Marquis  of 
Worcester.  Those  who  desire  to  follow  out  the  details  of 
his  political  relations  more  closely  will  find  much  material 
in  the  Life  by  Henry  Dircks — a  crude  and  ill-digested  per- 
formance, which  should  be  called  a  collection  of  materials 
for  a  biography,  rather  than  a  biography. 

That  the  Marquis  of  Worcester  was  a  keen  student  and 
an  enthusiastic  inventor,  there  can  be  no  doubt.  That  the 
results  which  he  attained  have  been  greatly  over-estimated  is 
very  certain,  but  the  wonder  is  that  he  should  have  accom- 
plished anything  at  all  when  we  consider  the  troublous  times 
in  which  his  lot  was  cast. 

As  a  man  he  was  loyal,  brave  and  honest,  qualities  not 
always  found  in  high  places  in  those  days.  Unfortunately, 
for  himself,  he  was,  during  a  great  part  of  his  life,  attached 
to  the  losing  side,  and  when  the  tide  of  success  turned  he 
was  too  old  to  secure  the  favor  of  such  a  frivolous  and  sen- 
sual monarch  as  Charles  the  Second. 


INTHODUCTIOlsr. 


If  we  except  those  who  have  taken  an  active  controver- 
sial part  in  religion  or  politics  there  is  no  man  in  regard  to 
whom  such  positively  opposite  opinions  have  been  enter- 
tained, as  the  Marquis  of  Worcester.  Dircks,  in  the  Dedi- 
cation prefixed  to  his  Life  of  the  Marquis,  affirms  that  it 
would  be  "impossible  to  name  his  compeer  either  amongst 
the  highest  nobility  or  the  most  eminent  scientific  celebrities 
of  Europe,  during  the  last  two  centuries."  In  other  words, 
Newton,  Davy,  Faraday,  Watt,  Stephenson,  and  all  the  other 
stars  in  the  bright  galaxy  which  stretches  across  the  last  two 
two  hundred  years,  pale  before  the  effulgence  of  the  fame 
of  the  Marquis  of  Worcester ! !  On  the  other  hand  Walpole 
speaks  of  the  "Century  of  Inventions"  as  "an  amazing 
piece  of  folly,"  and  rates  the  author  as  little  better  than  a 
madman !  It  is  pretty  certain  that  the  truth  lies  between 
these  two  extremes,  for  the  one  is  the  conclusion  of  a  man 
of  trinkets  and  trifles  who  never  in  his  life  grappled  with  a 
serious  subject  and  conquered  it,  and  the  other  is  the  out- 
come of  mere  toadyism  on  the  part  of  a  man  Avho  evidently 
wished  to  ingratiate  himself  with  certain  aristocratic  fami- 
lies. 

Unfortunately,  for  the  Marquis,  the  labors  of  Mr.  Dircks 


1 6  INTRODUCTION. 

have  rendered  certain  the  fact  tljat  to  him  we  owe  absolutely 
nothing  so  for  as  inventive  progress  is  concerned.  He  may 
have  constructed  steam  engines  more  perfect  than  those 
turned  out  by  the  best  factories  of  the  present  day;  he 
may  have  perfected  inventions,  which,  if  now  understood, 
would  render  both  telegraph  and  telephone  useless,  and  his 
"Water-Commanding  Engine"  may  have  been  not  only 
"  Semi-omnipotent  "  but  actually  omnipotent,  and  yet  it  is  no 
injustice  to  him  and  no  ingratitude  on  our  part  for  us  to  say 
that  we  owe  him  NOTHING,  for  with  all  the  efforts  of  Mr. 
Dircks  and  all  the  facilities  placed  at  his  command,  as  re- 
gards old  papers,  records,  models,  etc.,  there  has  not  been 
brought  to  light  one  scrap  of  writing,  or  one  fragment  of  a 
model,  that  tends  to  show  that  the  Marquis  ever  developed  a 
successful  invention  or  that  he  ever  carried  one  to  such  a  de- 
gree of  completion  as  would  enable  a  modern  mechanic  to 
profit  to  any  extent  by  his  labors. 

It  is  therefore  very  obvious  that  we  owe  none  of  our  me- 
chanical or  inventive  progress  to  him.  Whether  he  actually 
succeeded  in  perfecting  the  inventions  that  he  describes,  and 
especially,  whether  or  not  he  was  the  real  inventor  of  the 
steam  engine,  are  questions  which  will  be  attacked  by  those 
who  desire  to  gratify  their  antiquarian  curiosity,  but  not  by 
those  who  desire  to  render  to  the  name  of  a  benefactor  the 
homage  which  gratitude  prompts. 

Many  of  the  inventions  described  by  the  Marquis  are  frivo- 
lous and  useless.  He  gives  no  clue  to  his  ciphers,  but  it  is 
the  simplest  of  all  tasks  to  devise  methods  which  will  con- 


INTRODUCTION.  *7 

form  to  all  the  conditions  stated  in  his  book ;  the  only  diffi- 
culty is  that  in  these  days  the  deciphering  of  cryptographs 
has  made  such  progress  that  any  such  ciphers  would  be  use- 
less. A  mere  tyro  in  the  art  would  be  able  to  decipher 
them  and  in  a  few  minutes  force  them  to  give  up  their  true 
meaning. 

That  many  of  the  alleged  inventions  described  in  the 
Century  were  solved  only  in  the  imagination  of  the  Marquis 
can  hardly  be  doubted  by  any  intelligent  student.  For  ex- 
ample, No.  56  is  a  very  perfect  description  of  a  common  form 
of  so-called  perpetual  motion — that  is  to  say,  it  is  one  of 
those  forms  which  are  almost  certain  to  occur  to  every  active 
mechanical  mind  that  attempts  to  solve  this  famous  problem. 
We  have  known  it  to  be  invented  a  dozen  times  by  persons 
whose  efforts  and  ideas  were  entirely  independent  of  each 
other,  and  who  had  never  heard  of  the  thing  before.  We  have 
had  models  of  this  contrivance  brought  to  us,  and  so  strong 
was  the  hold  that  the  theoretical  idea  had  taken  upon  the 
minds  of  the  inventors  that  although  in  every  case  the 
models  failed  to  operate  yet  this  was  invariably  attributed  to 
the  mechanical  defects  and  rude  workmanship  of  the  model 
and  not  to  any  fallacy  lurking  in  the  theory.  And  every  edi- 
tor of  a  popular  scientific  journal  and  every  person  having 
much  to  do  with  inventors,  will  no  doubt  testify  to  the  same 
experience. 

It  is  a  fact  well  known  to  all  who  are  actually  brought 
into  contact  with  mechanical  progress  that  the  inventive 
world  is  full  of  embryo  inventions  whose  maturity  is  an  im- 


1 8  INTRODUCTION. 

possibility.  At  one  time  our.  Patent  Office  required  models 
of  all  inventions  capable  of  being  so  illustrated.  As  a  gen- 
eral rule  the  office  accepted  what  were  called  "dummy" 
models — that  is  to  say,  models  that  merely  showed  the  form 
and  arrangement  of  the  parts  without  actually  working.  In 
particular  cases  the  office  had  the  power  to  demand  "  work- 
ing "  models,  but  these  were  not  often  required.  Now  every 
patent  agent  will  testify  that  the  percentage  of  inventions 
which  seemed  f.  asible  in  drawings  and  dummy  models  and 
yet  failed  in  actual  practice  was  very  large.  And,  so  plau- 
sible did  these  schemes  seem  that  the  authors  would  have 
had  no  hesitation  in  risking  their  lives  on  the  results;  far  less 
would  they  have  hesitated  to  describe  them  as  "  inventions 
which  they  had  tried  and  perfected."  So  that  we  are  far 
from  impugning  the  veracity  of  the  Marquis  when  we  say 
that  many  of  these  things  existed  only  in  his  imagination,  for 
it  must  be  borne  in  mind  that  every  inventor  is  gifted  with  a 
vivid  imagination ;  indeed,  if  defective  in  this  respect,  he 
never  could  be  an  inventor. 

Those  who  will  carefully  study  the  inventions  described  in 
the  "  Century  "  will  be  surprised  to  see  how  many  of  them 
have  been  brought  to  a  degree  of  perfection  of  which  the 
Marquis  could  have  had  no  idea.  Not  only  has  the 
power  of  steam  been  so  developed  that  the  claims  of  the 
Marquis  have  been  far  exceeded,  but  our  telegraphs,  tele- 
phones, armored  ships,  land  turrets  and  other  contrivances 
throw  far  in  the  shade  anything  ever  conceived  or  named 
by  him.  But,  when  we  read  his  wonderful  descriptions  we 


INTRODUCTION.  IQ 

cannot  but  accord  to  him  a  power  of  vision  far  in  advance  of 
his  day.  He  had  a  marvellous  insight  into  the  future,  and 
unbounded  faith  in  the  possibilities  of  science  and  mechanics, 
and  the  probability  is  that  if  he  had  closely  settled  down  to 
the  hard  work  of  thorough  investigation,  and  the  prosaic 
study  of  facts  and  principles,  he  would  have  been  the  real  inven- 
tor of  the  modern  steam  engine.  But  not  only  did  he  fall 
upon  evil  times,  his  mind  was  too  enthusiastic  and  flighty  for 
such  work,  and  he  spread  over  a  "  Century  "  of  inventions 
that  power  which  he  ought  to  have  confined  to  one  or  two. 

Amongst  the  questions  which  always  occur  when  the  name 
of  the  Marquis  of  Worcester  is  brought  forward,  are  those  re- 
lating to  the  invention  of  the  steam  engine.  Prof.  Robi- 
son  and  some  others  broadly  claim  that  he  was  the  inven- 
tor of  this  modern  aid  to  civilization,  Avhile  Arago  claims  the 
like  for  De  Caus,  others  claim  it  for  Savery,  and  the  friends 
of  other  inventors  make  like  claims.  The  thoughtful  student 
will  see  that  none  of  these  claims  are  well  founded.  The 
development  of  the  Steam  Engine  was  a  gradual  process,  pro- 
ceeding in  some  cases  along  distinct  and  unconnected  lines, 
which  in  every  case  served  to  develop  some  useful  princi- 
ple, but  which  did  not  always  produce  a  practical  result, 
capable  of  utilization  in  the  modern  machine. 

The  principal  stages  of  this  course  of  invention  seem  to 
have  been  the  following : 

1.  The  discovery  of  the  expansive  force  of  steam. 

2.  Its  direct  application  to  the  production  of  mechanical 
motion. 


20  INTRODUCTION 

3.  Its  direct  application  to  the  raising  of  water  in  closed 
vessels. 

4.  Its  use  in  the  formation  of  a  vacuum  so  as  to  produce 
mechanical  motion. 

5.  Its  application   to  the  direct  movement  of  a  piston  in 
both  directions. 

At  every  one  of  these  stages  various  minor  improvements 
were  made,  any  one  of  which  would,  if  not  superseded  by 
better,  have  made  the  fame  and  fortune  of  any  inventor,  but  to 
no  one  inventor  do  we  owe  our  advancement  through  more 
than  one  stage.  Let  us  briefly  glance  at  these  several 
stages. 

The  expansive  power  of  steam  was  no  doubt  discovered 
at  a  very  early  period  in  the  history  of  man's  progress.  In- 
deed, it  is  quite  certain  that  it  antedates  many  of  our  well- 
defined  historic  periods,  such  as  the  bronze  and  iron  ages. 
It  was  probably  discovered  as  soon  as  men  had  constructed 
rude  vessels  of  earthen  ware  in  which  they  could  cook  their 
food.  The  lids  of  these  vessels  would  often  be  raised  by 
steam ;  explosions  of  pent-up  vapor  would  occur,  and  even 
in  the  infancy  of  the  arts,  men  would  be  taught  to  respect 
the  tremendous  power  which  now  does  us  such  noble  ser- 
vice. 

We  can  easily  imagine  the  consternation  of  the  ancients  at 
some  of  these  tremendous  manifestations,  and  we  can  easily 
suppose  that  they  would  be  attributed  to  the  working  of 
some  Genie  or  Spirit,  for  all  the  invisible  forces  were  so  re- 
garded by  men  in  early  times.  Our  modern  word  gas  ig 


INTRODUCTION.  21 

nothing  but  the  word  ghost  in  a  different  form,  and  it  came 
to  be  applied  to  invisible  airs,  because  these  were  supposed 
to  be  subterranean  spirits.  So  the  name  of  the  metal  Cobalt 
is  merely  a  transformation  of  the  word  Kobold,  the  name  of 
an  evil  spirit  who  was  supposed  to  haunt  mines,  and  change 
good  metal  to  worthless  alloy.  In  the  hands  of  the  ancient 
priests,  steam  played  an  important  part  in  many  Pagan 
ceremonies,  and  therefore  we  may  safely  conclude  that  this 
stage  of  the  discovery  of  steam  as  a  source  of  power  ante- 
dates all  history. 

The  same  is  true  of  the  second  stage.  In  his  work  en- 
titled" Spiritalia,"  Hero,  of  Alexandria,  describes  three  modes 
in  which  steam  might  be  employed  as  a  mechanical  power : 
i,  to  raise  water  by  its  elasticity;  2,  to  elevate  a  weight  by 
its  expansive  force,  and  3,  to  produce  a  rotary  motion  by  its 
reaction  in  escaping  from  the  side  of  a  tube.  The  latter 
works  on  the  same  principle  that  operates  the  well-known 
Barker's  water-mill.  Hero  does  not  claim  these  inventions 
as  his  own,  but,  as  has  been  well  said,  "  though  posterity  is 
really  not  indebted  to  him  for  the  invention,  it  is  still  more 
beholden  to  him  for  the  bequest  of  his  description,  than  if 
he  had  been  the  inventor  and  had  omitted  to  describe  it." 
The  invention  of  Branca,  and  also  the  well  known  modifica- 
tion of  Branca's  device,  in  which  a  jet  of  steam  is  made  to 
act  directly  on  the  buckets  or  vanes  of  a  breast-wheel,  come 
under  this  head. 

In  the  third  stage  we  find  steam  used  in  close  vessels  and 
pressing  directly  upon  the  water  to  be  raised.  This  was  a 


2±  INTRODUCTION. 

direct  step  in  advance,  though  in  some  of  Its  forms  it  was 
no  doubt  invented  at  a  very  early  period.      The   crudest 
form  of  the  device  is  that  of  which  the  so-called  engine  of 
De  Caus  is  an  illustration.     In  this  "  engine  "  the  entire  body 
of  water  to  be  raised  must  first  be  heated  above  the  boil-  / 
ing  point — an  arrangement  which  is  utterly  impracticable  so  \ 
far  as  any  useful  mechanical  purpose  is  concerned.     This  de- 
vice is,  however,  very  old — much  older  than  De  Caus. 

It  would  of  course  soon  be  found  that  it  was  not  neces- 
sary to  heat  the  water  to  be  raised ;  that  steam  from  a  separ- 
ate boiler  would  be  much  more  economical.  This  method 
was  fully  described  by  Porta  in  1601,  and  is  still  in  use  in 
a  simple  and  tolerably  efficient  form  of  water-raising  engine. 

The  fact  that  when  steam  is  condensed  by  cold,  a 
vacuum  is  formed,  was  well  known  in  very  ancient  times. 
The  old  steam  blowers  or  Eolipiles  were  frequently  filled  by 
utilizing  this  principle,  and  it  was  not  a  great  step  from  the 
mere  raising  of  water  into  an  Eolipile  to  the  raising  of  a 
weight  by  the  use  of  a  piston.  Pistons  for  raising  water  an- 
tedate any  recorded  form  of  the  steam  engine,  and  their 
adaptation  to  the  production  of  mechanical  movements  by 
the  pressure  of  the  atmosphere,  did  not  require  any  great 
stretch  of  the  inventive  faculty. 

The  fifth  stage  in  which  steam  was  caused  to  act  directly  on 
a  piston,  was  the  culmination  of  the  invention  of  the  steam  en- 
gine. An  infinite  number  of  modifications,  and  of  additional 
devices  and  improvements  may  have  been  added,  but  this  was 
the  fundamental  idea  the  adoption  of  which  brought  success. 


INTRODUCTION.  23 

To  which  of  these  stages  the  inventions  of  the  Marquis  be- 
longed we  have  no  means  of  knowing.  There  is  not  a 
scrap  of  drawing,  a  fragment  of  a  model,  or  an  intelligible 
description  remaining  to  aid  us  on  this  point.  True,  we 
have  many  sketches,  and  so-called  restorations,  but  they  are 
all  the  products  of  the  fancy  and  the  inventive  powers  of 
biographers  and  commentators. 

As  regards  the  engine  at  Vauxhall,  it  may,  for  aught  we 
know,  have  been  a  mere  pump.  Two  very  intelligent  travellers 
visited  the  works  at  times  considerably  apart,  and  both  speak 
of  the  use  of  horses  for  driving  the  engines.  A  steam  en- 
gine, worked  by  horses,  is  certainly  a  curious  invention. 

Historians  have  indulged  in  much  speculation  as  to  the 
causes  which  delayed  the  invention  of  the  steam  engine  to  so 
late  a  period.  It  is  acknowledged  on  all  hands  that  the  pro- 
perties and  powers  of  steam  were  tolerably  well  understood, 
and  all  the  mechanical  elements  of  a  successful  engine  had 
been  invented — the  crank,  the  piston,  etc.  And  the 
mechanical  skill  of  the  ancients  has  furnished  a  subject  for 
many  a  lecturer  on  the  "  lost  arts."  Why  then  was  not  the 
steam  engine  produced  ?  Simply  because  it  was  not  needed. 
What  would  have  been  the  use  of  a  motive  power  to  a  peo- 
ple who  had  no  machinery  for  it  to  drive  ?  The  Greeks  and 
Romans  had  not  even  a  threshing  machine,  far  less  spinning 
machinery,  power  looms,  or  rolling  mills.  All  their  mechan- 
ical work  was  done  by  hand-power,  and  so  long  as  the 
spinning  wheel  was  turned  by  women  and  the  shuttle  driven 
by  men,  of  what  use  could  a  steam  engine  have  been  to  them  ? 


24  INTRODUCTION. 

In  the  history  of  the  arts.,  and  sciences  we  find  that  the 
progress  of  each  depends  greatly  upon  that  of  the  others. 
Astronomy  and  physiology  came  to  a  standstill  until  the 
science  and  practice  of  optics  were  so  improved  as  to  place 
the  telescope,  the  spectroscope  and  the  microscope  at  their 
command.  Since  then  the  progress  made  in  these  depart- 
ments has  been  simply  marvellous.  In  the  arts  we  find  that 
every  new  demand  gives  rise  to  new  inventions  and  new  dis- 
coveries. As  soon  as  the  English  mines  required  power  of 
some  kind  to  keep  them  free  from  water,  pumps  suited  to 
the  purpose  were  invented.  At  first  these  pumps  were 
worked  by  hand,  but  as  soon  as  greater  power  became  ne- 
cessary new  inventions  were  made  and  horse-power  was  ap- 
plied. This  enabled  the  mines  to  be  carried  to  a  greater 
depth,  and  then  a  still  more  powerful  motor  was  needed,  and 
as  soon  as  this  became  apparent  the  steam  engine  was  in- 
vented. 

In  the  arts  as  in  daily  life,  the  extent  of  our  wants  is  the 
measure  of  our  civilization. 


NOTE. 


In  the  following  pages  we  give  a  verbatim  reprint  of  the 
Edition  of  1663 — the  only  one  known  to  have  been  pub- 
lished during  the  life  of  the  Marquis. 

There  is  in  the  British  Museum  (Harleian  MS.  No.  2428) 
a  manuscript  copy  of  the  Century.  Partington  affirms 
that  this  copy  is  in  the  handwriting  of  the  Marquis, 
but  such  is  not  the  case.  It  is  evidently  a  mere  copy  made 
by  some  one  for  his  own  convenience  before  the  work  was 
printed.  The  top  of  the  title  page  of  the  MS.  copy  bears  the 
words  "from  August  ye  291!!  to  Sept.  ye  2ist,  1659"  This 
is  supposed  to  indicate  the  time  occupied  in  copying  it. 

The  MS.  copy  differs  in  several  places  from  the  printed 
edition.  These  variations  we  have  given  in  foot  notes,  so 
that  the  reader  may  have  the  exact  text  of  both  the  printed 
and  the  written  copy. 

In  the  MS.  copy,  however,  No.  88  instead  of  being  a  de- 
scription of  a  Brazen  Head,  is  a  description  of  "A  Stamping 
Engine"  for  coining  money.  The  description  is  as  fol- 
lows:— "  An  engine  without  ye  least  noyse,  knock  or  use  of 
fyre,  to  coyne  and  stamp  100  Ib.  in  an  houre  by  one  man." 


CENTURY 

OF  THE 

Names    and    Scantlings 
OF  SUCH 

INVENTIONS, 

As  at  prefent  I  can  call  to  mind  to 
have  tried  and  perfected,  which 
(my  former  Notes  being  loft)  I 
have,  at  the  inftance  of  a  power- 
ful Friend,  endeavoured  now  in 
the  Year  1655,  to  fet  thefe 
down  in  fuch  a  way  as  may  fuiii- 
ciently  inftrud  me  to  put  any  of 
them  in  pra&ice. 

Artis  &  Naturae  proles. 

LONDON: 
Printed  by  J.  Grifmond\\\  the  year  1663. 


TO    THE 

KINGS 

Most  Excellent  MAJESTY. 


SIR, 

SCIRE,  meum  nihil  est,  nisi  me  scire  lioc  sciat  alter, 
saith  tJie  S'oet,  and  I  most  justly  in  order  to  Your  Majesty, 
whose  satisfaction  is  my  happiness,  and  ivhom  to  seii'e  is  my 
ouely  aime,  placing  therein  my  Summum  bonuni  in  this  world: 
Be  therefore  pleased  to  cast  Your  gracious  Eye  over  this  Sum- 
mary Collection,  and  then  to  pick  and  choose.  I  confess,  I 
made  it  but  jor  the  superficial  satisfaction  of  a  friends  curi- 
osity, according  as  it  is  set  downe ;  and  if  it  might  now  serve 
to  give  aime  to  Your  Majesty  how  to  make  use  of  my  poor 
Endeavours,  it  would  cimune  my  thoughts,  who  am  neitJier 
covetous  nor  ambitious,  but  of  describing  Your  Majesties  favour 
upon  my  own  cost  and  charges ;  yet,  according  to  the  old 
English  Proverb,  It  is  a  poor  Dog  not  worth  whistleing 
after.  Let  but  Your  Majesty  approve,  and  I  will  effectually 
perform  10  the  height  of  my  Undertaking :  Vouchsafe  but  to 
command,  and  with  my  Life  and  Fot  tune  I  shall  chcarfully 
obey,  and  maugre  envy,  ignorance  and  malice,  ever  appear 
YOUR  MAJESTY'S 

Passionately-devoted,  or 
otherwise  dis-interested 
Subject  and  Servant, 

WORCESTER. 


To  the  Right  Honourable 
THE  LORDS  SPIRITUAL  AND  TEMPORAL; 

And  to  the  KNIGHTS,  CITIZENS,  AND  BURGESSES  of  the  Hon- 
ourable House  of  Commons  ;  NOW  assembled  in  Parliament. 


My  Lords  and  Gentlemen, 

Be  not  startled  if  I  address  to  all,  and  every  of  you,  this 
Century  of  Summary  Heads  of  wonderful  things,  even  after 
the  Dedication  of  them  to  His  most  Excellent  Majesty,  since 
it  is  with  His  most  gracious  and  particular  consent,  as  well 
as  indeed  no  wayes  derogating  from  my  duty  to  His  Sacred 
Self,  but  rather  in  further  order  unto  it,  since  your  Lordships, 
who  are  his  great  Council,  and  you,  Gentlemen,  His  whole 
Kingdom's  Representatives  (most  worthily  welcome  unto 
Him,)  may  fitly  receive  into  your  wise  and  serious  considera- 
tions what  doth  or  may  publickly  concern  both  His  Majesty 
and  His  tenderly-beloved  People. 

Pardon  me  if  I  say  (my  Lords  and  Gentlemen)  that  it  is 
joyntly  your  parts  to  digest  to  His  hand  these  ensuing  par- 
ticulars, fitting  them  to  His  palate,  and  ordering  how  to  re- 
duce them  into  practice  in  a  way  useful  and  beneficial  both 
to  His  Majesty  and  His  Kingdom. 

Neither  do  I  esteem  it  less  proper  for  me  to  present  them 
to  you,  in  order  to  His  Majesty's  service  than  it  is  to  give 


£2  CENTURY   OF    INVENTIONS. 

into  the  hands  of  a  faithful  aud  provident  Steward  whatso- 
ever dainties  and  provisions  are  intended  for  the  Master's 
diet;  the  knowing  and  faithful  Steward  being  best  able  to 
make  use  thereof  to  his  Master's  contentment  and  greatest 
profit,  keeping  for  the  morrow  what  ever  should  be  over- 
plus or  needless  for  the  present  day,  or  at  least,  to  save 
something  else  in  lieu  thereof.  In  a  word  (my  Lords  and 
Gentlemen),  I  humbly  conceive  this  Simile  not  improper, 
since  you  are  His  Majesty's  provident  Stewards,  into  whose 
hands  I  commit  my  self  with  all  properties  fit  to  obey  you, 
that  is  to  say,  with  a  heart  harbouring  no  ambition,  but  an 
endless  aim  to  serve  my  King  and  Countrey :  and  if  my  en- 
deavors prove  effectual  (as  I  am  confident  they  will),  his 
Majesty  shall  not  onely  become  rich,  but  his  people  likewise, 
as  Treasurers  unto  Him;  and  His  Pierless  Majesty,  our 
King,  shall  become  both  belov'd  at  home  and  fear'd  abroad, 
deeming  the  riches  of  a  king  to  consist  in  the  plenty  enjoyed 
by  His  People. 

And  the  way  to  render  Him  to  be  feared  abroad  is,  to 
content  his  People  at  home,  who  then,  with  heart  and 
hand,  are  ready  to  assist  him;  and  whatsoever  God  blesseth 
me  with  to  contribute  towards  the  increase  of  His  Revenues 
in  any  considerable  way,  I  desire  it  may  be  employed  to  the 
use  of  His  People;  that  is,  for  the  taking  off  such  Taxes  or 
Burthens  from  them  as  they  chiefly  groane  under,  and  by  a 
Temporary  necessity  onely  imposed  upon  them,  which  being 
thus  supplied  will  certainly  best  content  the  King  and  satisfie 
His  People,  which  I  dare  say  is  the  continual  Tend  of  all 


CENTURY   OF   INVENTIONS.  3$ 

your  indefatigable  pains,  and  the  perfect  demonstrations  of 
your  Zele  to  His  Majesty,  and  an  evidence  that  the  King- 
doms Trust  is  justly  and  deservedly  reposed  in  you.  And  if 
ever  Parliament  acquitted  themselves  thereof,  it  is  this  of 
yours,  composed  ot  most  deserving  and  qualified  Persons — 
qualified,  I  say,  with  your  affection  to  your  Prince,  and  with 
a  tenderness  to  His  People;  with  a  bountiful  heart  towards 
Him,  yet  a  frugality  in  their  behalfs. 

Go  on,  therefore,  chearfully  (my  Lords  and  Gentlemen), 
and  not  onely  our  gracious  King,  but  the  King  of  Kings 
will  reward  you,  the  Prayers  of  the  People  will  attend 
you,  and  His  Majesty  will,  with  thankful  arms,  embrace 
you.  And  be  pleased  to  make  use  of  me  and  my  en- 
deavors to  enrich  them,  not  my  self;  such  being  my 
onely  request  unto  you,  spare  me  not  in  what  your  Wisdoms 
shall  find  me  useful,  who  do  esteem  myself  not  onely  by  the 
Act  of  the  Water-commanding  Engine  (which  so  chearfully 
you  have  past),  sufficiently  rewarded,  but  likewise  with  cour- 
age enabled  to  do  ten  times  more  for  the  future;  and  my 
Debts  being  paid,  and  a  competency  to  live  according  to  my 
Birth  and  Quality  setled,  the  rest  shall  I  dedicate  to  the 
service  of  our  King  and  Countrey  by  your  disposals:  and  es- 
teem me  not  the  more  or  rather  any  more,  by  what  is  past, 
but  what  's  to  come;  professing  really,  from  my  heart,  that 
my  Intentions  are  to  outgo  the  six  or  seven  hundred  thou- 
sand pounds  already  sacrificed,  if  countenanced  and  en- 
couraged by  you,  ingenuously  confessing  that  the  melancholy 
which  hath  lately  seized  me,  (the  cause  whereof  none  of 


34  CENTURY   OF    INVENTIONS. 

you  but  may  easily  guess,)  bath,  I  dare  say,  retarded  more 
advantages  to  the  public  service  than  modesty  will  permit 
me  to  utter:  And  now  revived  by  your  promising  favors,  I 
shall  infallibly  be  enabled  thereunto  in  the  Experiments  extant, 
and  comprised  under  these  heads  practicable  with  my  direc- 
tions by  the  unparall'd  workman,  both  for  trust  and  skill,  Cas- 
per Kaltoffs  hand,  who  has  been  these  five-and-thirty  years  as 
in  a  school,  under  me  imployed,  and  still  at  my  disposal,  in  a 
place  by  my  great  expences  made  fit  for  publick  service, 
yet  lately  like  to  be  taken  from  me,  and  consequently  from 
the  service  of  King  and  Kingdom,  without  the  least  re- 
gard of  above  ten  thousand  pounds  expended  by  me,  and 
through  my  Zele  to  the  Common  good ;  my  Zele,  I  say,  a 
field  large  enough  for  you  (my  Lords  and  Gentlemen)  to 
work  upon. 

The  Treasures  buried  under  these  heads,  both  for  War, 
Peace,  and  Pleasure,  being  inexhaustible ;  I  beseech  you 
pardon  me  if  I  say  so;  it  seems  a  Vanity,  but  compre- 
hends a  Truth  ;  since  no  good  Spring  but  becomes  the  more 
plentiful  by  how  much  more  it  is  drawn,  and  the  Spinner  to 
weave  his  webb  is  never  stinted  but  further  inforc'd. 

The  more  then  that  you  shall  be  pleased  to  make  use  of  my 
Inventions,  the  more  Inventive  shall  you  ever  find  me;  one 
Invention  begetting  still  another,  and  more  and  more  impro- 
ving my  ability  to  serve  my  King  and  you ;  and  as  to  my 
heartiness  therein,  there  needs  no  addition,  nor  to  my  readi- 
ness a  spur.  And  therefore  (my  Lords  and  Gentlemen)  be 
pleased  to  begin,  and  desisist  not  from  commanding  me  till  I 


CENTURY  OP   INVENTIONS.  35 

flag  in  my  obedience  and  endeavors  to  serve  my  King  and 
Country. 

For  certainly  you'lfind  me  breathless  first  Vexpire, 
Before  my  hands  grow  voeary,  or  my  legs  do  tire. 

Yet,  abstracting  from  any  Interest  of  my  own,  but  as  a 
Fellow-Subject  and  Compatriot,  will  I  ever  labor  in  the  Vine- 
yard, most  heartily  and  readily  obeying  the  least  summons 
from  you,  by  putting  faithfully  in  execution  what  your  Judg- 
ments shall, think  fit  to  pitch  upon  amongst  this  Century  of 
Experiences,  perhaps  dearly  purchased  by  me,  but  now 
frankly  and  gratis  offered  to  you.  Since  my  heart  (me- 
thinks)  cannot  be  satisfied  in  serving  my  King  and  Country, 
if  it  should  cost  them  anything;  As  I  confess,  when  I  had 
the  honor  to  be  neare  so  obliging  a  Master  as  His  late 
Majesty,  of  happy  memory,  who  never  refused  me  his  Ear  to 
any  reasonable  motion:  And  as  for  unreasonable  ones,  or 
such  as  were  not  fitting  for  him  to  grant,  I  would  rather  to 
have  dyed  a  thousand  deaths  than  ever  to  have  made  any 
one  unto  him. 

Yet  whatever  I  was  so  happy  as  to  obtain  for  any  deserving 
Person,  my  Pains,  Breath  and  Interest  employed  therein, 
satisfied  me  not,  unless  I  likewise  satisfied  the  Fees ;  but  that 
was  in  my  Golden  Age. 

And  even  now,  though  my  ability  and  means  are  short- 
ened, the  world  knows  why  my  heart  remains  still  the 
same ;  and  be  you  pleased,  my  Lords  and  Gentlemen,  to 
rest  most  assured,  that  the  very  complacency  that  I  shall 


36  CENTURY   OF   INVENTIONS. 

take  in  the  executing  your  'Commands  shall  be  unto  me  a 
sufficient  and  an  abundantly-satisfactory  reward. 

Vouchsafe  therefore  to  dispose  freely  of  me,  and  what- 
ever lieth  in  my  power  to  perform;  first,  in  order  to  His 
Majesty's  service;  secondly,  for  the  good  and  advantage  of 
the  Kingdom ;  thirdly,  to  all  your  satisfactions,  for  particular 
profit  and  pleasure  to  your  individual  selves,  professing  that 
in  all  and  eaeh  of  the  three  respects,  I  will  ever  demean  my 
self  as  it  best  becomes, 

My  Lords  and  Gentlemen, 
Your  most  passionately -bent  Fellow -Subject  in 
His    Majesty's    service,    Compatriot  for   the 
publick    good  and  advantage,   and    a    most 
humble  servant  to  all  and  every  of  you. 

WORCESTER. 


A  CENTURY 

OF  THE 

Names  and  Scantlings  of 

Inventions  by  me  already 
practised. 


i.  Several  sorts  of  Seals,  some  shewing  by  scrues,  others 
by  gages  fastening  or  unfastening  all  the  marks  at  once ; 
others  by  additional  points  and  imaginary  places,  propor- 
tionable to  ordinary  Escocheons1  and  Seals  at  Arms,  each 
way  palpably  and  punctually  setting  down  (yet  private  from 
all  others  but  the  Owner  and  by  his  assent)  the  day  of  the 
Moneth,  the  day  of  the  Week,  the  Moneth  of  the  Year,  the 
Year  of  our  Lord,  the  names  of  the  Witnesses,  and  the  indi- 
vidual place  where  any  thing  was  sealed,  though  in  ten 
thousand  several  places,  together  with  the  very  number  of 
lines  contained  in  a  Contract,  whereby  falsification  may  be 
discovered  and  manifestly  proved,  being  upon  good  grounds 
suspected. 

Upon  any  of  these  Seals  a  man  may  keep  Accompts  of 

i  Escucheons. 


38  CENTURY  OP  INVENTIONS. 

Receipts  and  disbursements,  from  one  Farthing  to  an  hun- 
dred millions,  punctually  shewing  each  pound,  shilling,  peny, 
or  farthing. 

By  these  seals,  likewise,  any  Letter,  though  written  but  in 
English,  may  be  read  and  understood  in  eight  several  lan- 
guages, and  in  English  itself  to  clean  contrary  and  different 
sense,  unknown  to  any  but  ihe  Correspondent,  and  not  to 
be  read  or1  understood  by  him  neither,  if  opened  before  it  ar- 
rive unto  him;  so  that  neither  Threats  nor  hopes  of  Re- 
ward can  make  him  reveal  the  secret,  the  Letter  having 
been  intercepted  and  first  opened  by  the  Enemy. 

2.  How  ten  thousand  Persons  may  use  these  seals  to  all 
and    every    of   the    purposes    aforesaid,    and    keq)    their 
secrets2  from  any  but  whom  they  please. 

3.  A  Cypher  and  Character  so  contrived,  that  one  line, 
without  returns  and3  circumflexes,  stands  for  each  and  every 
of  the  24.  Letters ;  and  as  ready  to  be  made  for  the  one  letter 
as  the  other. 

4.  This  invention  refined,  and  so  abbreviated  that  a  point 
onely  sheweth    distinctly   and  significantly  any   of  the    24. 
letters ;  and  these  very  points  to  be  made  with  two  pens, 
so   that   no   time   will   be   lost,    but    as   one   finger   riseth 
the   other  may  make   the  following   letter,   never   clogging 
the    memory   with    several    figures   for   words    and    com- 

1  nor  to  be. 

2  secrets  private. 
»or— / 


CENTURY   OF    INVENTIONS.  39 

bination  of  letters,  which  with  ease,  and  void  of  con- 
fusion, are  thus  speedily  and  punctually,  letter  for  letter, 
set  down  by  naked  and  not  multiplied  points.  And  nothing 
can  be  less  than  a  point,  the  Mathematical  definition  of2  be- 
ing, Cujus  pars  nulla.  And  of  a  motion  no  swifter  imagin- 
able then3  Semiquavers  or  Releshes,  yet  applicable  to  this 
manner  of  writing. 

5.  A  way,  by  a  Circular  motion,  either  along  a  Rule  or 
Ring-wise,  to  vary  any  Alphabet,  even  this  of  Points,  so  that 
the  self-same  Point,  individually  placed,  without  the  least  ad- 
ditional mark  or  variation  of  place,  shall  stand  for  all  the  24. 
letters,  and  not  for  the  same  letter  twice  in  ten  sheets  writ- 
ing; yet  as  easily  and  certainly  read  and  known  as  if  it  stood 
but  for  one  and  the  self-same  letter  constantly  signified. 

6.  How   at  a  Window,  far  as  Eye  can   discover4   black 
from  white,  a  man  may  hold  discourse  with  his  Correspon- 
dent without  noise  made  or  notice  taken ;  being,  according 
to  occasion  given  and  means  afforded,  Ex  re  nata,  and  no 
need  of  Provision  beforehand ;   though  much  better  if  fore- 
seen, and  means  prepared  for  it,  and  a  premeditated  course 
taken  by  mutual  consent  of  parties. 

7.  A  way  to  do  it  by  night  as  well  as  by  day,  though  as 
dark  as  Pitch  is  black. 

1  combinations. 

2  of  it. 

»than  what  expresseth  even. 
4  discern. 


4°  CENTURY    OF    INVENTIONS. 

8.  A  way  how  to  level  aud  shoot  Cannon  by  night  as 
well  as  by  day,  and  as  directly ;  without  a  platform  or  meas- 
ures taken  by  day,  yet  by  a  plain  and  infallible  rule. 

9.  An   Engine,  portable  in  one's  Pocket,  which  may  be 
carried  and  fastened  on  the  inside1   of  the    greatest  Ship, 
Tanquam  aliud  age/is,  and  at  any  appointed  minute,  though 
a  week  after,  either  of  day  or  night,  it  shall  irrecoverably 
sink  that  Ship. 

10.  A  way  from  a  mile  off  to  dive  and  fasten  a  like  Engine 
to  any  Ship,  so  as  it  may  punctually  work  the  same  effect 
either  for  time  or  execution. 

11.  How  to  prevent  and  safeguard  any  Ship  from  such  an 
attempt  by  day  or  night. 

12.  A   way  to   make  a   Ship   not  possible  to  be  sunk, 
though  shot  an  hundred  times  betwixt  wind  and  water  by 
Cannon,  and  should  lose  a  whole  Plank,  yet  in  half  an  hours 
time,  should  be  made  as  fit  to  sail  as  before. 

13.  How   to  make   such  false   Decks,  as  in  a  moment 
should  kill  and  take  prisoners  as  many  as  should  board  the 
Ship,  without   blowing  the  Decks  up  or  destroying   them, 
from  being  reducible,  and  in  a   quarrer  of  an  hours  time 
should  recover  their  former  shape,  and  to  be  made  fit  for 
any  imployment  without  discovering  the  secret. 

14.  How  to  bring  a  force  to  weigh  up  an  Anchor,  or  to 
do  any  forcible  exploit,  in  the  narrowest  or2  lowest  room  in 

ithe  side. 
*and— -for  or. 


CENTURY   OE   INVENTIONS.  41 

any  Ship,  where  few  hands  shall  do  the  work  of  many;  and 
many  hands  applicable  to  the  same  force,  some  standing, 
others  sitting,  and1  by  virtue  of  their  several  helps,  a  great 
force  augmented  in  little  room,  as  effectual  as  if  there  were 
sufficient  space  to  go  about  with  an  Axle-tree,  and  work 
far  from  the  Centre. 

15.  A   way2   how  to   make  a  Boat  work  it  self  against 
Wind   and   Tide,   yea   both  without   the  help   o(   man    or 
beast;    yet3   so   that   the   Wind   or  Tide,   though    directly 
opposite,   shall  force   the  Ship  or  Boat  against  itself,"  and 
in  no  point  of  the  Compass,  but  it  shall  be  as  effectual  as 
if  the  wind  were  in  the  Pupp,  or  the  stream  actually  with 
the  course  it  is  to  steer,  according  to  which  the  Oars  shall 
row,  and  necessary  motions  work  and  move   towards   the 
desired  Port  or  point  of  the  Compass. 

1 6.  How  to  make  a  Sea-castle  or  Fortification  Cannon 
proof,  and  capable  of  a  thousand  men,  yet  sailable  at  plea- 
sure to  defend  a  passage;    or,  in  and  hour's  time,  to  divide 
itself  into  three  Ships,  as  fit  and  trimmed  to  sail  as  before : 
And  even  whilest  it  is  a  Fort  or  Castle,  they  shall  be  unani- 
mously steered,  and  effectually  be  driven  by  an  indifferent 
strong  wind. 

17.  How  to  make  upon  the  TJiames  a  rioting  Garden  of 

iand  yet. 

2  a  way— omitted. 

» but— /or  yet. 


42  CENTURY    OF    INVENTIONS. 

pleasure,  with  Trees,  Flowers,  Banquetting-Houses,  and 
Fountains,  Stews  for  all  kinds  of  fishes,  a  reserve  for  Snow 
to  keep  Wine  in,  delicate  Bathing  places,  and  the  like;  with 
musick  made  with1  Mills,  and  all  in  the  middest  of  the  stream 
where  it  is  most  rapid. 

18.  An  Artificial  Fountain,  to  be  turned  like  an  Hour- 
glass, by  a  child  in  the  twinkling  of  an  eye;  it2  holding  a 
great  quantity  of  water,  and  of  force  sufficient  to  make  snow, 
ice,  and  thunder,  with  a3  chirping  and  singing  of  birds,  and 
shewing  of  several  shapes  and  effects  usual  to  Fountains  of 
pleasure. 

16.  A  little  engine  within  a  Coach,  whereby  a  child  may 
stop  it,  and  secure  all  persons  within  it,  and  the  Coachman 
himself,  though  the  horses  be  never  so  unruly4  in  a  full 
career;  a  child  being  sufficiently  capable  to  loosen  them  in 
what  posture  soever  they  should  have  put  themselves,  turn- 
ing never  so  short,  for  a  child  can  do  it  in  the  twinkling  of 
an  eye. 

20.  How  to  bring  up  water  Balance-wise,  so  that  as 
little  weight  or  force  as  will  turn  a  Balance  will  be  onely 
needful,  more  then  the  weight  of  the  water  within  the 
Buckets,  which  counterpoised,5  empty  themselves  one  into 

>  by— for  with. 

i  jet— for  it. 

» the— /or  a. 

« and  running. 

*  counterpoise,  and  empty. 


CENTURY    OF    INVENTIONS.  43 

the  other,  the  uppermost  yielding  its  water,  (how  great  a 
quantity  soever  it  holds),  at  the  self-same  time  the  lower-most 
taketh  it  in,  though  it  be  an  hundred  fathom  high. 

21.  How  to  raise  water  constantly  with  two  Buckets  onely 
day  and  night,  without  any  other  force  then  its  own  motion, 
using  not  so  much  as  any  force,  wheel  or  sucker,  nor  more 
pulleys  than  one  on  which  the  cord  or  chain  rolleth,  with  a 
bucket  fastened  at  eacli  end.     This  I  confess1  I  have  seen 
and   learned2   of    the    great    Mathematician    Claudius3   his 
studies  at  Rome,  he  having  made  a  Present  thereof  unto  a 
Cardinal ;  and  I  desire  not  to  own  any  other  mens*  inven- 
tions, but  if  I  set  down  any,  to  nominate  likewise  the  inven- 
tor. 

22.  To  make  a  River  in  a  Garden  to  ebbe  and  flow  con- 
stantly, though  twenty  foot  over,  with  a  childs  force,  in  some 
private  room  or  place  out  of  sight  and  a  competent  distance 
from  it. 

23.  To  set  a  Clock  in5  a  Castle,  the  water  filling  the6 
Trenches  about  it7;  it  shall  shew  by  ebbing  and  flowing,  the 
Hours,  Minutes,  and  Seconds  and  all  the  comprehensible 

1  confess  to  have. 

2  in  the  great  Mathematician's  study,  Clauius  at  Borne. 
»Clauius. 


s  as  within  a. 

s  and  the. 

7  about  it  shall  show  the  hours,  minutes,  and  seconds  by  ebbing. 


44  CENTURY    OF    INVENTIONS. 

motions  of  the  Heavens  and  Counterlibation1  of  the  Earth 
according  to  Copernicus. 

24.  How  to  increase  the  strength  of  a  Spring  to  such  a 
height    as  to  shoot  Bumbasses  and  Bullets  of  an  hundred 
pound  weight  a  Steeple  height,  and  a  quarter  of  a  mile  off 
and  more,  Stone-bow-wise;   admirable  for  Fire-works,  and 
astonishing  of  besieged  Cities,  when,  without  warning  given 
by  noise,  they  find  themselves  so  forcibly  and  dangerously 
surprised. 

25.  How  to  make  a  Weight  that  cannot  take  up  an  hun- 
dred  pound   and   yet  shall  take   up   two  hundred  pound, 
and2  at  the  self-same  distance  from  the  Centre;  and  so,  pro- 
portionally, to  millions  of  pounds. 

26.  To  raise  weight  as3  well  and  as  forcibly  with  the  draw- 
ing back  of  the  Lever,  as  with  the  thrusting  it4  forwards ;  and 
by  that  means  to  lose  no  time  in  motion  or  strength.     This  I 
saw  in  the  Arcenal  at   Venice? 

27.  A  way  to  remove    to    and   fro  huge    weights    with 
a    most    inconsiderable     strength     from    place     to     place. 
For  example,  Ten  Tunne  with  ten  pounds,  and  less;  the 

i  counterlibration. 

sand— omitted. 

*  so— for  as. 

<of  it. 

sat  Venice  in  the  Arsenal. 


CENTURY    OF    INVENTIONS.  4$ 

the  said  ten  pounds  not  to  fall  lower  than  it  makes  the  ten 
Tunne  to  advance  or  retreat  upon  a  Level. 

28.  A  Bridge,  portable  in1  a  Cart  with  six  horses,  which 
in  a  few  hours  time  may  be  placed  over  a  river  half  a  mile 
broad,  whereon  with  much  expedition,  may*  be  transported 
Horse,  Foot  and  Cannon. 

29.  A  portable  Fortification  able  to  contain  five  hundred 
fighting  men,    and  yet3  in  six  hours  time,  may4  be  set  up 
and  made  Cannon-proof,  upon  the  side  of  a  River  or  Pass, 
with  Cannon  mounted  upon  it,  and  as  complete  as  a  regular 
Fortification,  with  Half-moons  and  Counterscarps. 

30.  A  way  in  one  nights  time  to  raise  a  Bulwork  twenty  or 
thirty  foot  high,  Cannon-proof,  and  Cannon  mounted  upon 
it,  with  men  to  over-look,  command  and  batter  a  Towne;  for 
though  it  contain  but  four  Pieces,  they  shall  be  able  to  dis- 
charge two  hundred  Bullets  each  hour. 

31.  A  way  how  safely  and  speedily  to  make  an  approach 
to  a  Castle  or  Town-wall,  and  over  the  very  Ditch  at  Noon- 
day. 

32.  How  to  compose  an  universal  Character  methodical 
and  easie  to  be  written,  yet  intelligible  in  any  Language :  so 
that  if  an  English-man  write  it  in  English,  a  French-man,5  Ita- 

i upon. 

» there  maybe, 
yet  omitted. 
*  able  to  be. 
6.  man  omitted. 


46  CENTURY    OF    INVENTIONS. 

Han,  Spaniard,  Irish,1  Welsh,  being  Scholars ;  yea  Grecian  or 
Hebritian,  shall  as  perfectly  undertand  it  in  their  owne 
Tongue  as  if  they  were  perfect  English,  distinguishing  the 
Verbs  from  the  Nouns,  the  Numbers,  Tenses,  and  Cases,  as 
properly  expressed  in  their  own  Language  as  it  was  written  in 
English. 

33.  To  write  with  a  Needle  and  Thred,  white,  or  any  color 
upon-  white  or2  any  other3  color,  so  that  one  stitch  shall  sig- 
nificantly shew  any  letter,  and  as  readily  and  as  easily  shew 
the  one  letter  as  the  other,  and  fit  for  any  Language. 

34.  To  write  by  a  knotted  Silk  string,  so  that  every  knot 
shall  signifie  any  letter  with  Comma,  Full  point,  or  Inter- 
rogation, and  as  legible  as  with  Pen  and  Ink  upon  white 
paper. 

35.  The  like,  by  the  fringe  of  Gloves. 

36.  By  stringing  of  Bracelets. 

37.  By  Pinck'd  Gloves. 

38.  By  holes  in  the  bottom  of  a  Sieve. 

39.  By  a  Lattin,  or  Plate  Lanthorn.* 

40.  By  the  Smell. 

41.  By  the  Taste. 

42.  By  the  Touch. 

i  Irish  and. 

»  or  upon. 

» other  omitted. 

<  plate  candlestick  Lanthorn, 


CENTURY  OF   INVENTIONS.  47 

By  these  three  Senses  as  perfectly  distinctly  and- uncon- 
fusedly,  yea  as  readily  as  by  the  sight. 

43.  How  to  vary  each  of  these,  so  that  ten  thousand  may 
know  tliem,  and'  yet1  keep  the  understanding  part  from  any 
but  their  Correspondent. 

44.  To  make  a  Key  of  a  Chamber  door,  which  to  your 
sight  hath  its  Wards  and  Rose-pipe  but  Paper-thick,  and  yet 
at  pleasure  in  a  minute  of  an  hour,  shall  become  a  perfect 
Pistol,  capable  to  shoot  through  a  Brest-plate  commonly  of 
Carabine-proof,  with  Prime,   Powder    and    Firelock,  undis- 
coverable  in  a  strangers  hand. 

45.  How  to  light  a  Fire  and  a  Candle  at  what  hour  of  the 
night  one  awaketh,  without  rising  or  putting  ones  hand  out 
of  the  bed.     And  the  same  thing  becomes*  a  serviceable 
Pistol  at  pleasure;  yet  by  a  stranger,  not  knowing  the  secret, 
seemeth  but  a  dexterous  Tinder-box. 

46.  How  to  make  an  artificial  Bird   to  fly  which  way  and 
as  long  as  one  pleaseth,  by  or  against  the  wind,  sometimes 
chirping,  other  times  hovering,  still  tending  the  way  it  is  de- 
signed for. 

47.  To  make  a  Ball  of  any  metal,  which  thrown  into  a 
Pool  or  Pail  of  water  shall  presently  rise  from  the  bottom, 
and  constantly  shew  by  the  superficies  of  the  water  the  hour 
of  the  day  or  night,  never  rising  more  out  of  the  water  then 
just  to  the  minute  it  sheweth  of  each  quarter  of  the  hour; 

1  yet  omitted. 

2  becomes  to  be. 


48  CENTURY  OF   INVENTIONS. 

and  if  by  force  kept  under  water,  yet  the  time  is  not  lost,  but 
recovered  as  soon  as  it  is  permitted  to  rise  to  the  superficies  of 
the  water. 

48.  A  scrued  Ascent,  instead  of  Stairs,  with  fit  landing 
places  to  the  best  Chambers  of  each  Story,  with  Back-stairs 
within  the  Noell  of  it,  convenient  for  servants  to  pass  up  and 
down  to  the  inward  Rooms  of  them,  unseen  and  private. 

49.  A    portable  Engine,   in    way   of   a   Tobacco-tongs, 
whereby  a  man  may  get  over  a  wall,  or  get  up  again  being 
come  down,  finding  the  coast  proving1  unsecure  unto  him. 

50.  A  complete  light  portable  Ladder,  which  taken  out 
of  ones  Pocket,  may  be  by  himself  fastened  an  hundred  foot 
high  to  get  up  by  from  the  ground. 

51.  A  Rule  of  Gradation,  which  with  ease  and  method  re- 
duceth  all  things  to  a  private  correspondence,  most  useful  for 
secret  Intelligence. 

51.  How  to  signifie  words  and  a  perfect  Discourse, 
by2  jangling  of3  Bells  of  any  Parish-Church,  or  by  any 
Musical  Instrument  within  hearing,  in  a  seeming  way  of 
tuning  it ;  or  of  an  unskilful  beginner. 

53.  A  way  how  to  make  hollow  and  cover  a  Water-scrue, 
as  big  and  long  as  one  pleaseth,  in  an  easie  and  cheap  way. 

54.  How  to  make  a  Water-scrue  tite,  and  yet  transparent, 
and  free  from  breaking ;  but  so  clear,  that  one  may  palpably 

i  proveth. 
»by  the. 
»  of  the. 


CENTURY   OF   INVENTIONS.  49 

see  the  water  or  any  heavy  thing  how  and  why  it  is  mounted 
by  turning. 

55.  A  double  Water-scrue,  the  innermost  to  mount  the 
water,  and  the  outermost  for  it  to  descend  more  in  number 
of  threds,   and  consequently   in   quantity  of  water,  though 
much  shorter  than  the  innermost  scrue,  by  which  the  water 
ascendeth,  a  most  extraordinary  help  for  the  turning  of  the 
scrue  to  make  the  water  rise. 

56.  To  provide  and   make  that  all  the  Weights  of  the  de- 
scending side  of  a  Wheel  shall  be  perpetually  further  from 
the  Centre  then  those  of  the  mounting  side,  and  yet  equal  in 
number  and  heft  to1  the  one  side  as  the  other.     A  most  in- 
credible thing,  if  not  seen,  but  tried  before  the  late  King   (of 
blessed  memory)2  in   the  Tower,  by  my  directions,  two   Ex- 
traordinary Embassadors  accompanying   His   Majesty,  and 
the  Duke  of  Richmond  and  Duke  Hamilton,  with3  most4  of 
the  Court  attending  Him.     The  Wheel   was   14.  foot  over, 
and  40.  Weights  of  50.   pounds  apiece.     Sir  William  Bal- 
fotr?  then   Lieutenant  of  the   Tower?  can  justifie   it,  with 
several  others.     They  all   saw,  that  no  sooner  these  great 

1  of  /or  to. 

2  of  happy  and  glorious. 

3  and— /or  with. 
*  most  part. 

5  Belford. 

s  and  yet  livelng,  can. 


50  CENTURY   OP   INVENTIONS. 

Weights  passed  the  Diameter-line  of  the  lower1  side,  but  they 
hung  a  foot  further  from  the  Centre,  nor  no  sooner  passed 
the  Diameter-line  of  the  upper*  side,  but  they  hung  a  foot 
nearer.  Be  pleased  to  judge  the  consequence. 

57.  An  ebbing  and  flowing  Water-work  in  two  Vessels, 
into  either  of  which  the  water  standing  at  a  level,  if  a  Globe 
be  cast  in,  instead  of  rising  it  presently  ebbeth,  and  so  re- 
maineth  untill  a  like  Globe  be  cast  into  the  other  Vessel, 
which  the  water  is  no  sooner  sensible  of,  but  that8  Vessel 
presently  ebbeth,  and  the  other  floweth,  and  so  continueth 
ebbing  and  flowing  untill   one  or  both   of4  the   Globes  be 
taken  out,  working  some  little  effect  besides  its  own  motion, 
without  the  help  of  any  man  within  sight  or  hearing :  But  if 
either  of  the  Globes  be  taken  out,  with  ever  so  swift  or  easie 
a  motion,  at  the  very  instant  the  ebbing  and  flowing  ceaseth  ; 
for  if  during  the*  ebbing  you  take  out  the  Globe,  the  water 
of  that  Vessel  presently  returneth  to  flow,  and  never  ebbeth 
after,  untill6  the  Globe  be  returned  into  it,  and  then  the  mo- 
tion beginneth  as  before. 

58.  How  to  make  a  Pistol  to  discharge  a  dozen  times  with 

i  upper. 

a  lower. 

»the 

4  of— omitted. 

« that— /or  the. 

«  unless— /or  untill. 


CfcNTURY  OF   INVENTIONS.  51 

one  loading,  and  without  so  much  as  once  new  priming 
requisite,  or  to  change  it  out  of  one  hand  into  the  other,  or 
stop  ones  horse. 

59.  Another  way  as  fast  and1  effectual,  but  more  proper 
for  Carabines. 

60.  A  way  with  a  Flask  appropriated  unto  it,  which  will 
furnish  either  Pistol  or  Carabine  with  a  dozen   Charges  in 
three    minutes    time,    to    do    the    whole    execution    of    a 
dozen2  shots,  as  soon  as  one  pleaseth,  proportionably. 

61.  A  third  way,  and3    particular  for  Musquets,  without 
taking  them  from  their  Rests  to  charge  or  prime,  to  a  like 
execution,  and  as  fast  as  the  Flask,  the  Musquet  containing 
but  one  Charge  at  a  time. 

62.  A  way  for  a  Harquebuss,  a   Crock,  or  Ship-musquet, 
six  upon  a  carriage,  shooting  with  such  expedition,  as4  with- 
out danger  one  may  charge,  level,  and  discharge5  them   sixty 
times  in  a  minute  of  an  hour,  two  or  three  together. 

63.  A  sixth  way,6  most  excellent  for  Sakers,  Hiffering  from 
the  other,  yet  as  swift. 

64.  A  seventh,  tried  and  approved  before  the  late  King 

land  as 
*  of  12. 

sand— omitted. 
<  as  that. 

5  level  and  discharge— omitted. 

6  way — omitted. 


52  INTRODUCTION. 

(of  ever  blessed  memory)  and  an  hundred  Lords  and  Com- 
mons, in  a  Cannon  of  8.  inches  half  quarter,  to  shoot  bullets 
ot  64.  pounds  weight,  and  24.  pounds  of  pouder,  twenty 
times  in  six  minutes ;  so  clear  from  danger,  that  after  all  were 
discharged,  a  Pound  of  Butter  did  not  melt,  being  laid  upon 
the  Cannon-britch,  nor  the  green  Oile  discoloured  that  was 
first  anointed1  and  used  between  the  Barrel  thereof,  and  the 
Engine,  having  never  in  it  nor  within  six  foot  but  one 
charge  at  a  time. 

65.  A   way   that   one    man   in   the    Cabin   may    govern 
the2  whole  side  of  Ship-musquets,  to  the  number  (if  need  re- 
quire) of  2.  or  3000.  shots. 

66.  A  way  that  against3  several  Advenues  to  a  Fort  or 
Castle,  one  man  may  charge  fifty   Cannons  playing,   and 
stopping  when  he  pleaseth,  though  out  of  sight  of  the  Can- 
non. 

67.  A  rare  way,  likewise,  for  musquetoons  fastened  to  the 
Pummel  of  the  Saddle,  so  that  a   Common  Trooper  cannot 
misse  to  charge  them  with  twenty  or  thirty  bullets  at  a  time, 
even  in  full  career. 

When  first  I  gave  my  thoughts  to  make  Guns  shoot  often,  I 
thought  there  had  been  but  one  only  exquisite  way  inventible, 
yet  by  several  trials  and  much  charge,  I  have  perfectly  tried  all 
these. 

Ut  and. 
*a— /or  the. 
s  against  the. 


CENTURY   OE   INVENTIONS.  53 

68.  Aii  admirable  and  most  forcible  way  to  drive  up  water 
by1  fire,  not  by  drawing  or  sucking  it  upwards,  for  that  must 
be  as  the  philosopher  calleth  it,  Intrc?  sphceram  activitatis, 
which  is  but  at  such  a  distance.  But  this  way  hath  no 
Bounder,  if  the  Vessels  be  strong  enough ;  for  I  have  taken 
a  piece  of  a  whole  Cannon,  whereof  the  end  was  burst,  and 
filled  it  three  quarters  full  of  water,3  stopping  and  scruing 
up  the*  broken  end;  as  also  the  Touch-hole;  and  making  a 
constant  fire  under  it,  within  24.  hours  it  burst  and  made  a 
great  crack :  So  that  having  a  way5  to  make  my  Vessels,  so 
that  they  are  strengthened  by  the  force  within  them,  and  the 
one  to  fill  after  the  other.  I  have  seen  the  water  run6  like  a 
constant  Fountaine-stream,  40.  foot  high ;  one  Vessel  of  water 
rarified  by  fire,  driveth  up  40.'  of  cold  water.  And  a  man 
that  tends  the  work  is  but  to  turn  two  Cocks,  that  one  Vessel 
of  water  being  consumed,  another  begins  to  force  and8  refill 
with  cold  water,  and  so  successively,  the  fire  being  tended 
and  kept  constant,  which  the  self-same  Person  may  likewise 

i  with— ./or  by. 

» infra.  • 

3  of  water  omitted. 

4  that— for  the. 
s  found  a  way. 
e  to  run. 

i  driving  40.  of. 
«and  that  to  re-fill. 


54  CENTURY    OF    INVENTIONS. 

abundantly  perform    in  the,  interim  between  the  necessity 
of1  turning  the  said  Cocks. 

69.  A  way  how  a  little  triangle2  scrued  Key,  not  weighing 
a   Shilling3,    shall  be  capable   and    strong  enough  to  bolt 
and  unbolt,  round  about  a  great  Chest,  an  hundred  Bolts 
through  fifty  Staples,  two  in  each,  with  a  direct  contrary  mo- 
tion, and  as  many  more  from  both  sides  and  ends;    and  at 
the  self-same  time  shall  fasten  it  to  a  place,  beyond  a  mans 
natural  strength  to  take  it  away :   and  in   one  and  the  same 
turn  both  locketh  and  openeth  it. 

70.  A  Key  with   a  Rose-turning  pipe,  and  two   Roses 
pierced  through  endwise  the  Bit  thereof,4  with  several  hand- 
somly-contriv'd   Wards,  which  may  likewise  do  the    same 
effects5. 

71.  A  key  perfectly  square,  with  a  Scrue  turning  within  it 
and  more  conceited  then   any  of  the  rest,6  and   no  heavier 
than  the  triangle-scrued  Key,  and  doth  the  same  effects. 

72.  An    Escocheon7  to   be  placed   before   any  of  these 
Locks,  with  these  properties: 

1  necessity  of  omitted. 

2  triangle  and. 

a  not  weighing  a  shilling  omitted. 

*  together— for  thereof. 

B  effect. 

6  other— /or  rest 

'Schuchion. 


CENTURY    OF    INVENTIONS.  55 

1.  The  owner  (though  a  woman)  may  with  her  delicate 
hand,  vary  the  wayes   of  coming  to    open  the    Lock   ten 
millions  of  times,  beyond  the  knowledge  of  the  Smith  that 
made  it,  or  of  me  who  invented  it. 

2.  If  a  stranger   open  it,  it   setteth   an   Alarm    a-going, 
which  the  stranger  cannot  stop  from  running  out;  and  be- 
sides, though  none  should  be  within  hearing,  yet  it  catcheth 
his  hand  as  a  Trap  doth  a  Fox;   and  though  far  from  maim- 
ing him,  yet  it  leaveth  such  a  mark  behind  it,  as  will  discover 
him  if  suspected;  the  Escocheon1  or2  Lock  plainly  shewing 
what  monies  he  hath  taken  out  of  the  Box  to  a  farthing,  and 
how  many  times  opened  since  the  owner  hath  been  in  it.3 

73.  A  transmittible  Gallery  over  any  Ditch  or  Breach  in  a 
Town-wall,  with  a  Blinde  and  Parapit  Cannon-proof. 

74.  A  Door,  whereof  the  turning  of  a  Key,  with  the  help 
and  motion  of  the  handle,  makes  the  hinges  to  be  of  either 
side,  and   to   open   either  inward   or  outward,  as  one  is  to 
enter  or  to*  go  out,  or  to  open  in  half. 

75.  How    a   Tape   or  Ribbon-weaver  may  set  down   a 
whole  discourse,  without  knowing  a  letter,  or  interweaving 
nny  thing  suspicious  of  other  secret  than  a  new-fashioned 
Ribbon. 

1  Scuchion. 

2  or  the. 
« at  it. 

<to  omitted. 


56  CENTURY    OF    INVENTIONS. 

76.  How  to   write   in  th.e  dark  as  straight  as  by  day  or 
candle-light. 

77.  How  to  make  a  man  to  fly  ;  which  I  have  tried  with  a 
little  Boy  of  ten   years  old  in  a  Barn,  from  one  end  to  the 
other,  on  a  Hay-mow. 

78.  A  Watch  to  go  constantly,  and  yet  needs  no  other 
wauling  from  the  first  setting  on  the  Cord  or  Chain,  unless 
it  be  broken,  requiring  no  other  care  from  one  then  to  be 
now  and  theft  consulted   with  concerning  the  hour  of  the 
day  or  night ;   and  if  it  be  laid  by  a  week  together,  it  will 
not  erre  much,  but  the  oftener  looked  upon  the  more  exact  it 
sheweth  the  time  of  the  day  or  night. 

76.  A  way  to  to  lock  all  the  Boxes  of  a  Cabinet,  (though 
never  so  many)  at  one  time,  which  were  by  particular  Keys 
appropriated  to  each  Lock,  opened  severally  and  indepen- 
dent the1  one  of  the  other,  as  much  as  concerned!  the  open- 
ing of  them,  and  by  these*  means  cannot  be  left  opened  un- 
awares. 

80.  How  to  make  a  Pistol  Barrel  no  flicker  then  a  Shill- 
ing, and  yet  able  to  endure  a  Musquet  proof  of  Powder  and 
Bullet. 

8 1.  A  Combe-conveyance  carrying  of3  Letters    without 
suspicion,  the  head  being  opened  with  a  Needle-scrue  draw- 

i  the  omitted. 
»this-./or  these, 
a  of  omitted. 


CENTURY    OF    INVENTIONS.  57 

ing  a  Spring  towards  them1,  the  Comb  being  made  but  after 
an  usual  form  carried  in  ones  Pocket. 

82.  A  Knife  Spoon,  or  Fork  in  an  usual  portable  Case, 
may  have  the  like  conveyances  in  their  handles. 

83.  A  Rasping-mill,  for  Harts-horn,  whereby  a  child  may 
do  the  work  of  half  a  dozen  men,  commonly  taken  up  with 
that  work. 

84.  An   Instrument  whereby  persons2  ignorant  in  Arith- 
metic  may  perfectly   observe    Numerations3  and   Substrac- 
tions3  of  all  Suinmes  and  Fractions. 

85.  A  little  Ball  made  in  the  shape  of  a  Plum  or  Pear, 
bung*  dexterously  conveyed  or  forced  into  a  bodies  mouth, 
shall  presently  shoot  forth  such  and  so  many  Bolts  of  each 
side  and  at  both  ends,  as5  without  the  owners   Key,  can 
neither  be   opened  or6  filed   off,  being  made  of  tempered 
Steel,  and  as  effectually  locked  as  an  Iron  Chest. 

86.  A  chair,  made  a-la-tnode,  and  yet  a  stranger  being 
perswaded  to  set  in't,  shall  have  immediately  his  armes  and 
thighs  lock'd  up  beyond  his  own  power  to  loosen  them. 

87.  A  Brass  mould  to  cast  Candles,  in  which   a  man  may 

ione— /or  them, 

2  a  person. 

s  numeration  and  subtraction. 

*  which  being. 

s  as  that 

« nor. 


58  CENTURY    OF    INVENTIONS. 

make  500.  dozen  in  a  day,  and  adde  an  ingredient  to  the 
tallow  which  will  make  it  cheaper,  and  yet  so  that  the 
Candles  shall  look  whiter  and  last  longer. 

88.  l  How  to  make  a  Brazen  or  Stone  head,  in  the  midst 
of  a  great  Field  or  Garden,  so  artificial  and  natural,  that 
though  a  man  speak  never  so  softly,  and  even  whispers  into 
the   ear   thereof,  it  will  presently   open  its   mouth,  and   re- 
solve   the    Question    in    French,    Latine,    Welsh,    Irish    or 
English,  in  good  terms  uttering  it  out  of  his  mouth,  and  then 
shut  it  untill  the  next  Question  be  asked. 

89.  White  Silk,  knotted  in  the  fingers2  of  a  Pair  of  white 
Gloves,  and  so  contrived  without  suspicion,  that  playing  at 
primero,  at  cards,  one  may  without  clogging  his    memory 
keep  reckoning  of  all  Sixes,  Sevens  and  Aces,  which  he  hath 
discarded.3 

90.  A  most  dexterous  Dicing  Box,  with  holes  transparent, 
after  the  usual  fashion,  with  a  Device  so  dexterous,  that  with 
a  knock  of  it  against  the  Table  the  four  good   Dice  are 
fastened,  and  it1  looseneth  four  false  Dice  made  fit  for  his 
purpose. 

91.  An  artificial  Horse,  with  Saddle  and  Caparizons  fit 

iAn  engine  without  ye  least  noyse,  knock,  or  use  of  fyre,  to  coyne 
and  stamp  100.  Ib.  in  an  houre  by  one  man. 

*  finger. 

» without  foul  play. 

<it  omitted. 


CENTURY    OF    INVENTIONS.  59 

for  running  at1  the  ring,  on  which  a  man  being  mounted, 
with  his  Lance  in  his  hand,  he  can  at  pleasure  make  him  start, 
and  swiftly  to  run  his  career,  using  the  decent  posture2  with 
ban  grace,  may  take  the  Ring  as  handsomly  and  running  as 
swiftly  as  if  he  rode  upon  a  Barbe. 

92.  A  scrue,  made  like  a  Water-scrue,  but  the  bottom 
made  of  Iron-plate  Spade  wise,  which  at  the  side  of  a  Boat, 
emptieth  the  mud  of  a  Pond,  or  raiseth  Gravel. 

93.  An  Engine  whereby  one  man  may  take  out  of  the  water 
a  Ship  of  500.  Tun,  so  that  it  may  be  calked,  trimmed  and 
repaired,  without  need  of  the   usual   way  of  stocks,  and  as 
easily  let  it  down  again. 

94.  A   little    Engine   portable   in    ones    Pocket,   which 
placed   to   any  door,   without   any  noise,   but   one  crack, 
openeth  any  door  or  gate. 

95.  A  double  Cross-bow,  neate,  handsome,  and  strong,  to 
shoot  two  Arrows,  either  together,  or  one  after  the  other,  so 
immediately,  that  a  Deer  cannot  run  two  steps,  but,  if  he 
miss3  of    one   Arrow,  he   may  be   reach'd  with    the   other, 
whether  the  Deer  run  forward,  sideward,  or  start  backward. 

96.  A  way  to  make  a  Sea-bank  so  firm  and  Geometrically- 
strong,  that  a  stream  can  have  no  power  over  it ;    excellent, 
likewise,  to  save  the  Pillar  of  a  Bridge,  being  far  cheaper 
and  stronger  then  Stone- walls. 

i  at  omitted. 
*  postures. 
3  be  missed, 


60  .      CENTURY    OF    INVENTIONS. 

97.  An  Instrument  whereby  an  ignorant  person  may  take 
any  thing  in  Perspective,  as  justly,  and   more  than  the  skil- 
fullest  Painter  can  do  by  his  eye. 

98.  An   Engine,  so  contrived,  that  working  the  Priinum 
mobile  forward  or  backward,  upward    or  downward,1  circu- 
larly or  corner-wise,  to  and  fro,  streight,  upright   or   down- 
right, yet    the   pretended    Operation    continueth,    and    ad- 
vanceth  none  of  the  motions  above-mentioned,  hindering, 
much  less  stopping,  the  other;    but  unanimously,  and  with 
harmony  agreeing  they  all  augment  and  contribute  strength 
unto  the  intended  work  and  operation  :  and,  therefore,  I  call 
this  a  Semi-omnipotent  Engine,  and  do  intend  that  a   Model 
thereof  be  buried  with  me. 

99.  How  to  make  one  pound  weight  to  raise  an  hundred 
as  high  as  one  pound  falleth,  and  yet  the  hundred  pound 
descending  doth2  what" nothing  less  than  one  hundred. pound 
can  effect. 

100.  Upon  so  potent  a  help  as  these  two  last-mentioned 
Inventions  a  Water-work  is,  by  many  years  experience3  and 
labour,  so  advantageously  by  me1  contrived,  that  a  Child's 
force  bringeth  up  an  hundred  foot  high  an  incredible  quan- 


i  forwards  or  backwards,  upwards  or  dowijwards. 

« to  do. 

» expences— /or  experience. 

<  by  me— omitted. 


CENTURY   OE    INVENTIONS.  6 1 

tity  of  water,  even  two  foot  Diameter,  so  naturally,  that  the 
work  will  not  be  heard  even  into  the  next  Room ;  and  with 
so  great  ease  and  Geometrical  Symmetry,  that  though  it  work 
day  and  night  from  one  end  of  the  year  to  the  other,  it  will 
not  require  forty  shillings  reparation  to  the  whole  Engine,  nor 
hinder  ones  day-work1.  And  I  may  boldly  call  it  The  most  stu- 
pendious  work  in  the  whole  world :  not  onely  with  little  charge, 
to  drein  all  sorts  of  Mines,  and  furnish  Cities  with  water,  though 
never  so  high  seated,  as  well  to  keep  them  sweet,  running 
through  several  streets,  and  so  performing  the  work  of  Scav- 
engers, as  well  as  furnishing  the  inhabitants  with  sufficient 
water  for  their  private  occasions;  but  likewise  supplying 
rivers  with  sufficient  to  maintaine  and  make  them  portable2 
from  Towne  to  Tovvne,  and  for  the  bettering  of  Lands  all  the 
way  it  runs;  with  many  more  advantageous,  and  yet  greater 
effects  of  Profit,  Admiration,  and  Consequence.  So  that  de- 
servedly I  deem  this  Invention  to  crown  my  Labors,  to  re- 
ward my  Expences,  and  make  my  Thoughts  acquiesce  in  way 
of  further  Inventions :  This  making  up  the  whole  Century, 
and  preventing  any  further  trouble  to  the  Reader  for  the 
present,  meaning  to  leave  to  Posterity  a  Book,  wherein  un- 
der each  of  these  Heads  the  means  to  put  in  execution  and 
visible  trial  all  and  every  of  these  Inventions,  with  the  shape 


i  The  sentence  beginning  "  so  naturally  "  and  ending  "  ones  day- 
work,"  is  not  found  in  the  MS.  copy. 

»  mafce  navigable— /or  make  them  portable. 


62  CENTURY    OF   INVENTIONS. 

and  form  of  all  things  belonging  to  them,  shall  be  Printed  by 
Brass-plates. 

In  Bonum  Publicum, 
et 

Ad  Majorem  DEI  Gloriam.1 


The  following  passage,  added  as  a  postscript  to  the  MS., 
does  not  appear  in  the  edition  of  1663  : 

i  "  Besydes  many  omitted,  and  some  of  three  sorts  willingly  not  set 
downe,  as  not  fitt  to  be  divulged,  least  ill  use  may  bee  made  thereof; 
butt  to  shew  that  such  things  are  also  within  my  knowledge,  I  will  here 
in  myne  own  cypher  set  down  one  of  each,  not  to  be  concealed  when 
duty  and  affection  obligeth  me." 


CENTURY  OF   INVENTIONS.  63 


THE    CONTENTS.1 


No. 

Seals  abundantly  significant,  .....     i 

Private  and  particular  to  each  owner,  ...         2 

An  one-line  cypher, 3 

Reduced  to  a  point, 4 

Varied  significantly  to  all  the  24.  letters,          -        -        -     5 
A  minute  and  perfect  discourse  by  colors,*  -  6 

To  hold  the  same  by  night,3  -  -        -        -        -     7 

To  level  cannons  by  night,          .....        8 

A  ship-destroying  engine,       -         -  -         -         -     9 

How  to  be  fastened  from  aloof,  and  underwater,          -       10 
How  to  prevent  both,  -         --        -        -        -        -n 

An  unsinkable  ship,  -         -         --         -         -         -12 

False  destroying  decks,  -         -         -         -         -         -  13 

Multiplied4  strength  in  little  room,  .    -        -        -  14 

A  boat  driven  against  wind  and  tide,     -        -        -        -  15 

i  '•  Index." 

s  "  A  mute  yet  perfect  discourse,  as  far  distant  as  eye  can  reach  by  day 
to  discern  colors." 

3  '•  Though  never  soe  darke." 
<  "  Multiplying." 


°4  CENTURY   OF    INVENTIONS. 

No. 
A  sea-sailing  fort,      -------       16 

A  pleasant  floating  garden,  -  -  -  .  .  _  j* 
An  hour-glass  fountain,  -  -  -  .  .  -  18 
A  coach-saving  engine,  -  -  -  .  .  .  jg 
A  balance  water-work,  -  -  -  .  .  -20 

A  bucket-fountain, 2I 

An  ebbing  and  flowing  river,     -        -        .        .  22 

An  ebbing  and  flowing  castle  clock,1      -        -        .        .33 

A  strength-increasing  spring, 24 

A'double  drawing  engine  for  \v eights,2  -        -        .        .35 

A  to  and  fro  lever,    - 26 

A  most  easy  level  draught, 27 

A  portable  bridge,     -        -        -        .        .        „        -28 

A  moveable  fortification, 29 

A  rising  bulwark,       ---».._       30 

An  approaching  blind, „ , 

An  universal  character, 32 

A  needle  alphabet, 

A  knotted  string  alphabet, 34 

A  fringe  alphabet,         '"••---  35 

A  bracelet  alphabet, 36 

A  pinked  glove  alphabet,       - ,- 

A  sieve  alphabet,       - ,g 

A  lanthorn  alphabet,  ~ 

i  "  Flowing  clock." 

a  For  weights— wanting  in  the  MS. 


CENTURY   OF    INVENTIONS.  .  65 

No. 

smell,  -----  40 
An  alphabet  by  the  taste, 41 

touch, 42 

A  variation  of  all  and  each  of  these,1  -  -  -  -  43 
A  key  pistol,  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -44 

A  most  conceited  tinder-box, 45 

An  artificial  bird,  -         -         -         -         -         -         -         -46 

An  hour  water-ball,  -  -  -  -  -  -  -47 

A  screwed  ascent  of  stairs, 48 

A  tobacco-tongs  engine, 49 

A  pocket-ladder,  -        -        -        -        -        -         -50 

A  rule  of  gradation,  -         -        -        -        -         -  51 

A  mystical  jangling  of  bells,  -        -        -        -        -         -52 

An  hollowing  of  a  water-screw,  53 

A  transparent  water-screw,    -        -        -        -        -        -54 

A  double  water-screw,      -        -         -         -        -        -55 

An  advantageous  change  of  centres,      -        -        -        -  56 

A  constant  water-flowing  and  ebbing  motion,      -     •    -       57 
An  often-discharging  pistol,  -        -        -        -        -        -  58 

An  especial  way  for  carabines,  -        -        -        -  59 

A  flask  charger,   --------  60 

A  way  for  musquets,          -         -         -         -         -         -       61 

A  way  for  a  harquebuss,  or  crock,          -         -         -         -  62 

For  sakers2  and  minyons,  -----  63 

1  and  each  of  these— wanting. 

2  Forsacres. 


66       ,  CENTURY  OF  INVENTIONS. 

No. 
For  the  biggest  cannon,1       -        -        -        -        -        -  64 

For  a  whole  side  of2  ship  musquets,  65 

For  guarding  several  avenues  to  a  tov/n,        -        -        -  66 
For  musquetoons  on  horseback,          -        -        -  67 

A  fire  water-work,        -        -        -        -        -        -        -68 

A  triangle  key,          ...-.--69 
A  rose  key,      ------        .-70 

A  square  key,  with  a  turning  screw,       -        -        -        -71 

An  escutcheon  for  all  locks,       -        -        -        -  72 

A  transmittable  gallery,         -        -        -        -        -        -73 

A  conceited  door,     -------74 

A  discourse  woven  in  tape  or  ribbon,3    -        -        -        -  75 

To  write  in  the  dark,         -        -        -        -        -        -       ?6 

A  flying  man,       -        -        -        -        -        -        -        -77 

A  continually  going  watch,4       -        -        -        -        -78 

A  total5  locking  of  cabinet  boxes,  -        -        -        -        -  79 

Light  pistol  barrels,      -------80 

A  combe- conveyance  for  letters,6        -        -        -        -       81 

A  knife,  spoon,  or  fork  conveyance,       -        -        -        -82 

A  rasping  mill,          -------       83 

i  "  For  whole  cannon." 

*  a  whole  side  of— wanting. 
» or  ribbon — wanting. 

*  "  A  continual  watch." 
s  A  totaf— wanting. 

e  "  81.  82.    Conveyance  for  letters." 


CENTURY   OF   INVENTIONS.  67 

No. 
An  arithmetical  instrument,  -         -        -        -        -        -  84 

An  untoothsonie  pear,        ------       85 

An  imprisoning  chair,  -         -         -         -         -         -        -86 

A  candle  mould,       --S----87 

A  brazen  head,  or  speaking  figure,1         -        -         -         -  88 

Primero  gloves,2        -------       89 

Adicing-box,3       -         -         -         -         -         -         -         -go 

An  artificial  ring-horse,      -         -        -        -        -        -91 

A  gravel  engine,  --------  93 

A  ship-raising  engine,        ------       93 

A  pocket  engine  to  open  any  door,        -         -        -         -94 

A  double  cross-bow,          ------       9^ 

A  way  for  seabanks,      -         -         -         -         -         -         -  96 

A  perspective  instrument, 97 

A  semi-omnipotent  engine, 98 

A  most  admirable  way  to  raise  weights,4  99 

A  stupendous  water-work, 100 

1  Wanting  entirely  in  the  MS. 

2  "  Stamping  engine." 

3  "  Primero  gloves."    The  Marquis  seems  to  have  been  in  doubt  which 
he  should  erase— the  brazen  head  or  the  dicing-box. 

«  Wanting  in  the  MS. 


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Hints  and  Practical  Information  for  Cabinet-Makers,  Upholsterers,  and  Fa 
niture  Men  generally.  Together  with  a  description  of  all  kinds  of  Finishinj 
frith  full  directions  therefor,  Tarnishes,  Polishes,  Stains  for  Wood,  Dyes  f< 
Wood,  Gilding  and  Silvering,  Receipts  for  the  Factory,  Lacquers,  Metal 
Marbles,  etc.;  Pictures,  Engravings,  etc.;  Miscellaneous.  This  work  coi 
tains  an  immense  amount  of  the  most  useful  information  for  those  who  ai 
engaged  in  Manufacture,  Superintendence,  or  Construction  of  Furniture  < 
Wood  Work  of  any  kind.  It  is  one  of  the  Cheapest  and  Best  Books  ev< 
published,  and  contains  over  1,000  Hints,  Suggestions,  Methods,  and  T>> 
scriptions  of  Tools,  Appliances  and  Materials.  All  the  Recipes,  Rules,  an 
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great  experience,  so  that  they  will  be  found  thoroughly  trustworthy.  Clot! 
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Mechanical  Draughting. 

The  Student's  Illustrated  Guide  to  Practical  Draughting.  A  series  of  Pra 
tical  Instructions  for  Machinists,  Mechanics,  Apprentices,  and  Students  i 
Engineering  Establishments  and  Technical  Institutes.  By  T.  P.  PEMBERTO: 
Draughtsman  and  Mechanical  Engineer.  Illustrated  with  numerous  ei 
gravings.  Cloth,  Gilt,  - $!.( 

This  is  a  simple  but  thorough  book,  by  a  draughtsman  of  twenty-five  year 
experience.  It  is  intended  for  beginners  and  self-taught  students,  as  well  as  ic 
those  who  pursue  the  study  under  the  direction  of  a  teacher. 

Lectures  in  a  Workshop. 

By  T.  P.  PEMBERTON,  formerly  Associate  Editor  of  the  "  Technologist ; 
Author  of  "•  The  Student's  Illustrated  Guide  to  Practical  Draughting."  Wit 
an  appendix  containing  the  famous  papers  by  Whitworth  1%  On  Plane  JI( 
tallic  Surfaces  or  True  Planes; "  "  On  an  Uniform  System  of  Screw  Threads; 
"Address  to  the  Institution  of  Mechanical  Engineers,  Glasgow;"  "0 
Standard  Decimal  Measures  of  Length."  Cloth,  Gilt,  ...  $i.c 

We  have  here  a  sprightly,  fascinating  book,  iill  of  valuable  hints,  interestin 
anecdotes  and  sharp  sayings.  It  is  not  a  compilation  of  dull  sermons  or  dr 
mathematics,  but  a  live,  readable  book.  The  papers  by  Whitworth,  now  fire 
made  accessible  to  the  American  reader,  form  the  basis  of  our  modern  system 
of  accurate  work. 

How  to  Use  The  Microscope. 

By  JOHN  PHIN.  Fifth  Edition.  Greatly  enlarged,  with  over  eighty  Illustra 
tions  in  the  Text,  and  six  full  page  Engravings,  printed  on  heavy  tin 
paper.  Cloth,  Gilt, $1.0' 

This  is  not  a  book  describing  what  may  be  seen  by  the  microscope,  but  a  simpl< 
and  practical  work, telling  how  to  use' the  instrument  in  its  application  to  tin 
arts.  It  has  been  prepared  for  the  use  of  those  who.  having  no  knowledge  o 
the  use  of  the  microscope,  or,  indeed,  of  any  scientific  apparatus,  doire  simph 
and  practical  instruction  in  the  best  methods  of  manairiii!:  the  instrument  am 


The  Engineer's  Slide  Rule  and  Its  Applications. 

A  Complete  Investigation  of  the  Principles  upon  which 
the  Slide  Eule  is  Constructed,  together  with  the  Method 
of  its  Application  to  all  the-»Purposes  of  the  Practical 
Mechanic.  By  "William  Tonkes.  -  -  25  cents. 

Rhymes  of  Science:   Wise  and  Otherwise 

By  O.  W.  Holmes,  Bret  Harte,  Ingohlsby,  Prof.  Forbes, 
Prof.  J.  W.  McQ.  Bankine,  Hon.  B.  W.  Baymond,  and 
others.    With  Illustrations.    Cloth,  Gilt  Title,  50  cents. 
"Wo  advise  all  our  readers  into  whose   souls .  the  sunlight  of  fun  ever 
enters  to  purchase  this  little  book.    "  Making  light  of  cereous  things  " 
has  been  said,  by  a  high  authority  to  bo  "  awicked  profession,"  but  the 
genius  which  can  balance  the  ponderosity  of  an  ichthyosaur  upon  the 
delicate  point  of  a  euphonious  rhyme,  or  bear  aloft  a  bulky  lepto- 
rhyncus  on  the  sparkling  foam  of  a  soul-stirring  love  ditty,  is  worthy- 
worthy  of  a  purchaser.—  Philadelphia  Medical  News. 

Instruction  in  the  Art  of  Wood  Engraving. 

A  Manual  of  Instruction  in  the  Art  of  Wood  Engraving; 
with  a  Description  of  the  Necessary  Tools  and  Apparatus, 
and  Concise  Directions  for  their  Use ;  Explanation  of 
the  Terms  Used,  and  the  Methods  Employed  for  Pro- 
ducing the  Various  Classes  of  Wood  Engravings.  By 
S.  E.  Fuller.  Fully  Illustrated  with  Engravings  by  the 
author,  separate  sheets  of  engravings  for  transfer 
and  practice  being  added.  New  Edition,  Neatly 
Bound,  -  -  -  50  cents. 

What  to  Do  in  Case  of  Accident. 

What  to  Do  and  How  to  Do  It  in  Case  of  Accident.  A 
Book  for  Everybody.  12  mo.,  Cloth,  Gilt  Title,  50  cents. 

Th is  is  one  of  the  most  useful  books  ever  published.  It  tells  exactly 
what  to  do  in  case  of  accidents,  such  as  Severe  Cuts,  Sprains,  Disloca- 
tions, Broken  Bones,  Burns  with  Fire,  Scalds,  Burns  with  Corrosive 
Chemicals,  Sunstroke.  Suffocation  by  Foul  Air,  Hanging,  Drowning, 
Frost-Bite,  Fainting,  Stings,  Bites.  Starvation,  Lightning,  Poisons, 
Accidents  from  Machinery  and  from  the  Falling  of  Scaffolding,  Gun- 
shot Wounds,  etc.,  etc.  It  ought  to  be  in  every  house,  for  young  and 
old  nre  liable  to  accident,  and  the  directions  given  in  this  book  might 
be  the  means  of  saving  many  a  valuable  life. 


A  New  Book  for  Bee-Keepers. 

A  Dictionary  of  Practical  Apiculture,  giving  the  correct  meaning  of  nearlj 
Five  Hundred  Terms,  according  to  the  usage  of  the  best  writers.  Intendec 
as  a  Guide  to  Uniformity  of  Expression  amongst  Bee-Keepers.  With  Nu 
merous  Illustrations,  Notes,  and  Practical  Hints.  By  JOHN  PHIN,  Authoi 
of  "How to  Use  the  Microscope,"  etc.  Editor  of  the  "Young  Scientist.' 
Price,  Cloth,  Gilt, 50  cts 

This  work  gives  not  only  the  correct  meaning  of  five  hundred  different  words 
.specially  used  in  bee-keeping,  but  an  immense  amount  of  valuable  informatiot 
under  the  different  headings.  The  labor  expended  upon  it  has  been  very  great 
the  definitions  having  been  gathered  from  the  mode  in  which  the  words  an 
used  by  our  best  writers  on  bee-keeping,  and  from  the  Imperial,  Richardson's 
Skeat's,  Websters,  Worcester's  and  other  English  Dictionaries.  The  technica 
information  relating  to  matters  connected  with  bee-keeping  has  been  gatherec 
from  the  Technical  Dictionaries  of  Brande,  Muspratt,  Ure,  'Wagner,  Watts,  anc 
others.  Under  the  heads  Ere,  Comb,  Glucose.  Honey,  ttace,  Spcdes  Sugar,  Wai 
and  others,  it  brings  together  a  large  number  of  important  facts  and  figure: 
which  are  now  scattered  through  our  bee-literature,  and  through  costly  scientifii 
works,  and  are  not  easily  found  when  wanted.  Here  they  can  be  referred  to  a 
once  under  the  proper  bead. 

Haw  to  Become  a  Good  Mechanic. 

Intended  as  a  Practical  Guide  to  Self-taught  Men  ;  telHng  What  to  Study 
What  Books  to  Use  ;  How  to  Begin  ;  What  Difficulties  will  be  Met ;  How  t( 
Overcome  Them.  In  a  vs  3rd,  how  to  carry  on  such  a  Course  of  Self-instruc 
tion  as  will  enable  the  Young  Mechanic  to  rise  from  the  bench  to  something 
higher.  Paper,  -----------  15  cts 

This  is  not  a  book  of  "goody-goody"  advice,  neither  is  it  an  advertisemen 
of  any  special  system,  nor  does  it  advocate  any  hobby.  It  gives  plain,  practica 
advice  in  regard  to  acquiring  that  knowledge  which  alone  can  enable  a  youm 
man  engaged  in  any  profession  or  occupation  connected  with  the  industrial  art! 
to  attain  a  position  higher  than  that  of  a  mere  workman. 

Cements  and  Glue.  ' 

A  Practical  Treatise  on  the  Preparation  and  Use  of  all  Kinds  of  Cements 
Glue,  and  Paste.  By  JOHN*  PHINT,  Editor  of  the  "Young  Scientist"  and  th< 
"  American  Journal  of  Microscopy."  Stiff  Covers,  ...  25  cts 

Hints  for  Painters,  Decorators  and  Paper-hangers. 

Being  a  selection  of  Useful  Rules,  Data,  Memoranda,  Methods  and  Sug 
gestions  for  House,  Ship,  and  Furniture  Painting,  Paperhanging,  Gilding 
Color  Mixing,  and  other  matters  Useful  and  Instructive  to  Painters  anc 
Decorators.  Prepared  with  Special  Reference  to  the  Wants  of  Amateurs 
By  an  OLD  HAXD.  -----------25  cts 


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The  Workshop  Companion. 

A  Collection  of  Useful  and  Reliable  Recipes,  Rules,  Processes,  Methods, 
Wrinkles  and  Practical  Hints  for  the  Household  and  the  Shop.  Neatly 

Bound        .----., 35C. 

I'hls  Ls  a  book  of  \.M  closely  printed  pages,  forming  a  Dictionary  of  Practical 
Information,  for  Mechanics,  Amateurs,  Housekeepers,  Farmers,  Everybody.  It 
is  not  a  mere  collection  of  newspaper  clippings,  but  a  series  of  original  treatises 
on  various  subjects-  -:ch  as  Alloys,  Cements,  Inks,  Steel,  Signal  Lights,  Polish- 
ing Materials,  and  tne  art  of  Polishing  Wood.  Metals,  etc.;  varnishes,  Gilding, 
Silvering,  Bronzing,  Lacquering,  and  the  working  of  Brass,  Ivorv,  Alabaster, 
Iron,  Steel,  Glass,  etc. 

Carpenter's  and  Joiner's  Pocket  Companion. 

Containing  Rules,  Data  and  Directions  for  Laying  Out  Work  and  for  Calcu- 
lating and  Estimating.  Compiled  by  THOMAS  MOLOXKY,  Carpenter  and 
Joiner.  Neatly  Bound  in  Cloth,  with  Gilt  Stamp  and  Red  Edges,  -  50  cts. 
This  is  a  compact  and  handy  little  volume,  containing  enough  matter  that  is 

not  easily  found  anywhere  else  to  make  it  worth  more  than  Its  price  to  every 

intelligent  carpenter. 

Hints  for  Painters,  Decorators  and  Paperhangers. 

Being  a  selection  of  Useful  Rules,  Data,  Memoranda.  Methods  and  Sugges- 
tions for  House,  Ship,  and  Furniture  Painting,  Paperhanging,  Gilding,  Color 
Mixing,  and  other  matters  Useful  and  Instructive  to  Painters  and  Decor- 
ators. Prepared  with  Special  Reference  to  the  Wants  of  Amateurs.  By  an 
OLD  HAND, 25  cts. 

Drawing  Instruments. 

Being  a  Treatise  on  Draughting  Instruments,  with  Rules  for  their  Use  and 
Care.  Explanations  of  Scale,  Sectors  and  Protractors.  Together  with  Memo- 
oranda  for  Draughtsmen,  Hints  on  Purchasing  Paper,  Ink,  Instruments, 
Pencils,  etc.  Also  a  Price  List  of  all  materials  required  by  Draughtsmen. 
Illustrated  with  Twenty-four  Explanatory  Illustrations.  By  FUKD.  T. 
HODGSON.  Paper, 25c. 

Cements  and  Glue. 

A  Practical  Treatise  on  the  Preparation  and  Use  of  all  kinds  of  Cements, 
Glue  and  Paste.  By  JOHN  PHIN,  author  of  u  How  to  Use  the  Microscope." 

Paper, -    25  cts. 

Contains  nearly  200  recipes  for  the  preparation  of  Cements  for  almost  every 
conceivable  purpose. 

d  mm  n  Sense  in  the   Poultry  Yard      -  -    $  .00 

What  to  Do  in  Case  of  Acci'  ent          -  -                                               50c. 

How  to  Becirre  a  Good   Mechanic        -  -      15c 

Rhym  s  of  Science:  Wise  and  Otherwiss  -                                             50c. 

Shactin  j   on    he  Wing     -  -      75c. 

The  Pi.tcl,  and   How  to  Use  It       -  -           50c. 


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testing  on  the  Wing. 

Plain  Directions  for  Acquiring  ihe  Art  of  Shooting  on 
the  "Wing.  "With  Useful  Hints  concerning  all  that  relates 
to  Guns  and  Shooting,  and  particularly  in  regard  to  the 
art  of  Loading  so  as  to  Kill.  To  which  has  been  added 
several  Valuable  and  hitherto  Secret  Becipes,  of  Great 
Practical  Importance  to  the  Sportsman.  By  an  Old 
Gamekeeper. 
12mo.,  Cloth,  Gilt  Title.  -  75  cents, 

The  Pistol  as  a  Weapon,  of  Defence, 

In  the  House  and  on  the  Boad. 
12mo.,  Cloth.  .....          50  cents. 

This  work  aims  to  instruct  the  peaceable  and  law-abiding  citizens 
hi  the  best  means  of  protecting  themselves  from  the  attacks  of  the 
brutal  and  the  lawless,  and  is  the  only  practical  book  published  or 
this  subject.  Its  contents  are  as  follows :  The  Pistol  as  a  Weapon  ol 
Defence.— The  Carrying  of  Fire- Arms.— Different  kinds  of  Pistols  ii 
Market;  How  to  Choose  a  Pistol.— Ammunition,  different  kinds; 
Powder,  Caps,  Bullets,  Copper  Cartridges,  etc.— Best  form  of  Bullet- 
How  to  Load.— Best  Charge  /or  Pistols.— How  to  regulate  the 
Charge.— Care  of  the  Pistol;  how  to  Clean  it— How  to  Handle  and 
Carry  the  Pistol.— How  to  Learn  to  Shoot— Practical  use  of  th« 
Pistol ;  how  to  Protect  yourself  and  how  to  Disable  your  antagonist. 

Lightning  Rods. 

Plain  Directions  for  the  Construction  and  Erection  ol 
Lightning  Bods.  By  John  Phin,  C.  E.,  editor  of  "The 
Young  Scientist,"  author  of  "Chemical  History  of  the 
Six  Days  of  the  Creation,"  etc.  Second  Edition.  En- 
larged and  Fully  Illustrated. 
12mo.,  Cloth,  Gilt  Title.  -  -  ^  -  50  cents. 

This  is  a  simple  and  practical  little  work,  intended  to  convey  jusl 
auch  information  as  will  enable  every  property  owner  to  decide 
whether  or  not  his  buildings  are  thoroughly  protected.  It  is  nol 
written  in  the  interest  of  any  patent  or  particular  article  of  manu- 
facture, and  by  following  its  directions,  any  ordinarily  skilful  me- 
chanic can  nut  up  a  rod  that  will  afford  perfect  protection,  and  thai 
will  not  infringe  aay  patent  Every  cmnr-yr  of  a  house  or  barn  oujcb' 
tie  procure  a  copy. 


Hours  with  a  Three-Inch  Telescope. 

By  Capt.  WILLIAM  NOBLE,    F.  E.  A.  S.,    F.  R.  M.  S.,  Honorary  Associate 
of  the  Liverpool  Astronomical  Society,  etc.    12mo.,  Cloth,      -       -       SI. 50 
This  book  is  even  more  elementary  and  practical  than  Webb's  "  Celestial 
Objects.    It  has  been  written  to  furnish  the  very  beginner  in  observational 
astronomy  with  such  directions  as  shall  enable  him  to  employ,  to  the  greatest 
possible  advantage,  the  kind  of  instrument  with  which  he  will,  in  all  proba- 
bility, at  first  provide  himself. 

Like  our  edition  of  Webb,  the  book  has  been  made  for  us  by  the  English  pub- 
lishers, and  is  in  all  respects  the  same  as  the  English  edition. 

Celestial  Objects  for  Common  Telescopes. 

By  the  Rev.  T.  W.  WEBB,  M.  A.,  F.  R.  A.  S.  Fourth  Edition,  Revised  and 
< in-iil ly  Enlarged.  Fully  Illustrated  with  Engravings  and  a  large  Map  of 
the  Moon.  Cloth,  -  - .  - 

This  edition  has  been  made  for  ust»y  the  English  publishers,  and  is  in  every 
respect  the  same  as  the  English  edition.  The  work  itself  is  too  well  known  to 
require  commendation  at  our  hands.  No  one  that  owns  even  the  commonest 
kind  of  a  telescope  can  afford  to  do  without  it. 

"  Many  things  deemed  invisible  to  secondary  instruments,  are  plain  enough 
to  one  who  knows  how  to  see  them." — SMYTH. 

11  When  an  object  is  once  discerned  by  a  superior  power,  an  inferior  one 
will  suffice  to  see  it  afterwards."— SIB  W.  HERSCHKLL. 

The  Sun. 

A  Familiar  Description  of  His  Phenomena.     Bylhe  Rev.   THOMAS  WILLIAM 
WEBB,  M.  A.,  F.  R.  A.  S.,  author  of  "Celestial  Objects  for  Common  Tele- 
scopes."   With  Numerous  Illustrations.     Cloth,   -       -  lu-. 
This  work  gives  in  a  delightfully  popular  style  an  account  of  the  most  recent 
discoveries  in  regard  to  the  Sun.     Il  is  very  freely  illustrated. 

Chemical  History  of  the  Six  Days  of  Creation. 

By  JOHX  PHIX,  author  of  "How  to  Use  the  Microscope.''  12mo..  Cloth  75c. 
In  this  volume  an  attempt  is  made  to  trace  the  evolution  of  our  globe  from 
the  primeval  state  of  nebulous  misl.  "without  form  and  void."  and  existing  in 
"darkness."  or  with  an  entire  absence  of  the  manifestations  of  the  physiral 
forces,  to  the  condition  in  which  it  was  fitted  to  become  the  habitation  of  man. 
Wliile  the  statements  and  conclusions  arc  rigidly  ftdeutl fie,  II  gives  some  ex- 
ceedingly novel  views  of  a  rather  hackneyed  subject. 

Microscope  Objectives. 

The  Angular  Aperture  of  Microscope  Objectives.  By  I»r.  C.EOUGE  E.  BLACK- 
HAM.  8vo.,  Cloth.  Eighteen  full  page  illustrations  printed  on  extra  fine 
paper, SI---"1 

This  is  the  elaborate  paper  on  Angular  Aperture,  read  by  Dr.  Blackham  before 
the  Microscopical  Congress,  held  at  Indianapolis. 

Marvels  of  Pond  Life. 

A  Year's  Microscopic  Recreations  Among  the  Polyps.  Inlusoria.  Rotifers. 
Water  Hears  and  Polyzoa.  By  HENRY  .1.  SLACK.  V.  <:.  S..  K  R.  M.  S.,  etc. 
Second  Edition.  Seven  full  paire  Plates  and  Numerous  Woo,]  Eiiirravinir* 
in  the  text.  I'Jino..  Cloth. 51.00 


Section  Cutting. 

A.  Practical  Guide  to  the  Reparation  and  Mounting  01 
Sections  for  the  Microscope ;  Special  Prominence  being 
^ven  to  the  Subject  of  Animal  Sections  By  Sylvester 
JUarsh.  Reprinted  from  the  London  edition.  With 
Illustrations.  12mo.,  Cloth,  Gilt  Title.  •  75  centa 

This  is  undoubtedly  the  most  thorough  treatise  extant  upon  sectioi. 
cutting  <n  all  its  details.  The  American  edition  has  been  greatly 
enlarged  by  valuable  explanatory  notes,  and  also  by  extended  direc- 
tions, illustrated  with  engravings,  for  selecting  and  sharpening 
knives  and  razors. 

A  Book  for  Beginners  with  the  Microscope. 

Being  an  abridgment  of  "  Practical  Hints  on  the  Selection 
and  Use  of  the  Microscope."  ByJohnPhin.   Fully  illus- 
trated, and  neatly  and  strongly  bound  in  boards.    30  cts. 
This  book  was  prepared  for  the  use  of  those  who,  having  no  know- 
ledge of  the  use  of  the  microscope,  or,  indeed,  of  any  scientific  appar- 
atus, desire  simple  and  practical  instruction  in  the  best  methods  ol 
managing  the  instrument  and  preparing  objects. 

How  to  Use  the  Microscope. 

"  Practical  Hints  on  the  Selection  and  Use  of  the  Micro- 
scrope."  Intended  for  Beginners.  By  John  Phin, 
Editor  of  the  "American  Journal  of  Microscopy." 
Fourth  Edition.  Greatly  enlarged,  with  over  80  engrav- 
ings in  the  text,  and  6  full-page  engravings,  printed  on 
heavy  tint  paper.  12mo.,  cloth,  gilt  title,  -  $1.00 


The  Microscope. 

By  Andrew  Boss.     Fully    Illustrated.     12mo.)    Cloth, 
Gilt  Title.  75  cents. 

This  is  the  celebrated  article  contributed  by  Andrew  Ross  to  the 
"Penny  Cyclopaedia,"  and  quoted  so  frequently  by  writers  on  the 
Microscope  Carpenter  and  Hogg,  in  the  last  editions  of  their  works 
on  the  Microscope,  and  Brooke,  in  his  treatise  on  Natural  Philoso- 
phy, all  refer  to  this  article  as  the  best  source  for  full  and  clear 
information  in  regard  to  the  principles  upon  which  the  modern 
achromatic  Microscope  is  constructed.  It  should  ba  in  the  library 
of  every  person  to  whom  the  Microscope  is  more  than  a  toy.  it  ie 
Written  in  simole  language,  free  from  abstruse  technicalities. 


FOURTH  EDITION.  Greatly  Enlarged,  with  over  80  illustrations  in  the  Ttxi 
ai.dd  full  page  Engravings,  printed  on  Heavy  Tint  Paper.  i  Vol.  i-2mo.,  240 
p.:ges.  Neatly  Bound  in  Cloth,  Gilt  Title.  /Vv«$i.oo. 

HOW  TO  USE  THE  MICROSCOPE. 

A   SIMPLE  AND   PRACTICAL  BOOK,    INTENDED   FOR   BEGINNERS. 

BY  JOHN  PHIN, 
Editor  of  "  The  American  Journal  of  Microscopy." 


CONDENSED  TABLE  OF  CONTENTS. 

THE  MICROSCOPE.— What  it  Is;  What  it  Does;  Different  Kinds  of  Microscopes  ; 
Principles  of  its  Construct  on  ;  Names  of  the  Different  Parts. 

SIMPLE  MICROSCOPES.— Hand  Magnifiers;  Doublets;  Power  of  Two  or  More 
Lenses  When  Used  Together;  Stanhope  Lens;  Coddiugtou  Lens;  Achromatic 
Doublets  and  Trip'ets  ;  Twenty-five  Cent  Microscopes— Mid  How  to  Make  Them  ; 
Penny  Microscopes,  to  Show  Eels  in  Paste  and  Vinegar. 

DISSECTING  MICROSCOPES. — Essentials  of  a  Good  Dissecting  Microscope. 

COMPOUND  MICROSCOPES. — Cheap  Foreign  Stands ;  The  Ross  Model;  The  Jackson 
Model;  The  Continental  Model;  The  New  American  Model;  Cheap  American 
Stands;  The  Binocular  Microscope;  The  Binocular  Eye-piece;  The  Inverted  Micro- 
scope; Lithological  Microscopes;  The  Aquarium  Microscope;  Microscopes  for 
Special  Purpo-es;  "Class"  Microscopes. 

OBJECTIVES.— Defects  of  Common  Lenses;  Spherical  Aberration;  Chromatic  do.  ; 
Corrected  Objectives;  Defining  Power  ;  Achromatism;  Aberration  r  .  Form ;  Flatness 
of  Field ;  Angular  Aperture  ;  Penetrating  Power  '.  Working  Distan  j ;  Imnersion  and 
"Homogeneous"  Lenses;  I)  plex  Fronts;  French  Triplets,  etc.,  fee. 

TESTING  OBJECTIVES.— General  Rules;  Accepted  Standards — Diatoms,  Ruled 
Lines,  Artificial  Star;  Podura;  Nobert's  Lines;  MSller's  Probe  Platte,  etc.,  etc. 

SELECTION  OF  A  MICROSCOPE  — Must  be  Adapted  to  Requirements  and  Skill  of 
User;  Microscopes  for  Botany;  For  Physicians;  For  Students. 

ACCESSORY  APPARATUS. — Stage  Forceps;  Forceps  Carrier;  Plain  Slides;  Concave 
Slides;  Watch-Glass  Holder;  Animalcule  Cage;  Zoophyte  Trough;  The  Weber  Slide; 
The  Cell-Trough ;  The  Compressorium  ;  Gravity  Compressorium ;  Growing  Slides ; 
Frog  Plate;  Table;  Double  Nose-piece. 

ILLUMINATION.— Sun-Light;  Artificial  Light— Candles,  Gas,  Lamps,  etc.,  etc. 

ILLUMINATION  OF  OPAQUE  OBJECTS. — Bulls-Eye  Condenser;  Side  Reflector;  The 
Lieberkuhn;  The  Parabolic  Reflector;  Vertical  Illuminators. 

ILLUMINATION  OF  TRANSPARENT  OBJECTS. — Direct  and  Reflected  Light;  Axial  or 
Central  Ligh  ;  Oblique  Light;  The  Achromatic  Condenser;  The  Webster  Condenser, 
and  How  to  Use i-;  Wenham's  Reflex  Illuminator,  and  How  to  Use  it;  The  Wenham 
Prism;  The  "Half-Button;"  The  Woodward  Illuminator;  Tolles'  Illuminating 
Traverse  Lens;  The  Spot  Lens;  The  Parabolic  Illuminator;  Polarized  Light. 

How  TO  USE  THE  MICROSCOPE. — General  Rules;  Hints  to  Beginners. 

How  TO    USE   OBJECTIVES   OF   LARGE  APERTURE. — Collar-Correction,  etc. 

CARE  OF  THE  MICROSCOPE. — Should  be  Kept  Covered;  Care  of  Objectives:  Pre- 
cautions tr  be  Used  when  Corrosive  Vapors  and  Liquids  are  Employed ;  To  Protect 
th  Objectives  from  Vapors  which  Corrode  Glass;  Cleaning  the  Objectives;  Cleaning 
th  Brass  Work. 

COLLECTING  OBIECTS.— Whereto  Find  Objects;  What  to  Look  for;  How  to  Capture 
Them. 

THE  PREPARATION  AND  EXAMINATION  OF  OBJECTS. — Cutting  Thin  Sections  of 
Sor  Substances;  Valentine's  Knife;  Sections  of  Wood  and  Bone;  Improved  Section 
Cutter;  Sections  of  Hock;  Knives;  Scissors;  Needles;  Dissecting  Pans  and  Dishes ; 
Dissecting  Microscopes;  Separation  of  Deposits  from  Liquids;  Preparing  Whole 
Insects;  Feet,  EyeS  Tongues,  Wings,  etc  ,  of  Insects;  Use  of  Chemical  Tests;  Liquids 
for  Moistening^  Objects;  Refractive  Powers  of  Different  Liquids  ;  loil-Serum  ;  Artinc!?1 
.od-Serum;  Covers  for  Keeping  Out  Dust;  Errors  in  Microscopic  Observations. 

PRESERVATIVE  PROCESSES. — General  Principles;  Preservative  Media. 

APPARATUS  FOR  MOUNTING  OBJECTS.— Slides;  Covers;  Cells;  Turn-Tables, eic. 

CEMENTS  AND  VARNISHES. — General  Rules  for  Using. 

MOUNTING  OBJECTS.— Mounting  Transparent  Object-  Dry;  in  Balsam;  in  Liquid* 
Whole  Insects;  How  to  Get  Kid  of  Air- Bubbles;  Mounting  Opaque  Objects. 

FINISHING  THE  SLIDES. — Cabinets;  Maltwood  Finder;  Microscopical  Fallacies. 


A    NEW    SERIES    OF  PRACTICAL    BOOKS. 

WORK  MANUALS. 

The  intention  of  the  publishers  is  to  give  in  this  Series  a  number  of  small  books  which 
will  give  Thorough  and  Reliable  Information  in  the  plainest  possible  language,  upon  the 

OF  EVE:R,YIJA.Y 


Each  volume  will  be  by  some  one  who  is  not  only  practically  familiar  with  his  subject, 
but  who  has  the  ability  to  make  it  clear  to  others.     The  volumes  will  each  contain  from 


50  to  75  pages,  will  be  neatly  and  clearly  pnnted  on  good  paper    and  b 

and  durable  binding.     The  price  will  be  25  cents  each,  or  five  for  > 

The  following  are  the  titles  of  the  volumes  already  issued.     Others 


rid  bound  in  tough 
'or  One  Dollar. 

already  issued.     Others  will  follow  at 
short  intervals. 

I.  Cements  and  Glue. 

A  Practical  Treatise  on  the  Preparation  and  Use  of  All  Kinds  of  Cements,  Glue 
and  Paste.     By  JOHN   PHIN,  Editor  of  the   Young  Scientist  and  the  A merican 
Journal  of  Microscopy 
Every  mechanic  and  householder  will  find  this  volume  of  almost  everyday  use.     It 

contains  nearly  200  recipes  for  the  preparation  of  Cements  for  almost  every  conceivable 

purpose. 

II.  The  Slide  Rule,  and  How  to  Use  It. 

This  is  a  compilation  of  Explanations,  Rules  and  Instructions  suitable  for  mechanics 
and  others  interested  in  the  industrial  arts.  Rules  are  given  for  the  measurement  of 
all  kinds  of  boards  and  planks,  timber  ir.  the  round  or  square,  glaziers'  work  and  paint- 
ing, brickwork,  paviors'  work,  tiling  and  slating,  the  measurement  of  vessels  of  various 
shapes,  the  wedge,  inclined  planes,  wheels  and  axles,  levers,  the  weighing  and  meas- 
urement of  metals  and  all  solid  bodies,  cylinders,  cones,  globes,  octagon  rules  and 
formulae,  the  measurement  of  circles,  and  a  comparison  of  French  and  English  measures, 
with  much  other  information,  useful  to  builders,  carpenters,  bricklayers,  glaziers, 
paviors,  slaters,  machinists  and  other  mechanics. 

Possessed  of  this  little  Book  and  a  good  Slide  Rule,  mechanics  might  carry  in  their 
pockets  some  hundreds  of  times  the  power  of  calculation   that  they  now  have  in  the-_ 
heads,  and  the  use  of  the  instrument  is  very  easily  acquired. 
HI.    Hints  for  Painters,  Decorators  and  Paperhangers. 

Being  a  selection  of  Useful  Rules,  Data,  Memoranda,  Methods  and  Suggestions 
for  House,  Ship,  and  Furniture  Painting,  Paperhanging,  Gilding,  Color  Mixing:, 
and  other  matters  Useful  and  Instructive  to  Painters  and  Decorators.     Prepared 
with  Special  Reference  to  the  Wants  of  Amateurs.     By  an  Old  Hand. 
IT.    Construction,  Use  and  Care  of  Drawing  Instruments. 

Being  a  Treatise  on  Draughting  Instruments,  with  Rules  for  their  Use  and  Care, 
Explanations  of  Scale ;,  Sectors  and  Protractors.  Together  with  Memoranda  for 
Draughtsmen,  Hints  on  Purchasing  Paper,  Ink,  Instruments,  Pencils,  etc.  Also  a 
Price  List  of  all  materials  required  by  Draughtsmen.  Illustrated  with  twenty-four 
Explanatory  Illustrations.  By  FRED.  T.  HODGSON. 
V.  The  Steel  Square. 

Some  Difficult  Problems  in  Carpentry  and  Joinery  Simplified  and  Solved  by  the 
aid  of  the  Carpenters'  Steel  Square,  together  with  a  Full  Description  of  the  Tool, 
and  Explanations  of  the  Scales,  Lines  and  Figures  on  the  Blade  and  Tongue,  and 
How  to  Use  them  in  Everyday  Work.  Showing  how  the  Square  may  be  Used 
in  Obtaining  the  Lengths  and  Bevels  of  Rafters,  Hips,  Groins,  Braces,  Brackets, 


Purlins,  Collar-Beams,  and  Jack-Rafters.  Also,  its  Application  in  Obtaining 
the  Bevels  and  Cuts  for  Hoppers,  Spring  Mouldings,  Octagons,  Diminished 
Styles,  etc.,  etc.  Illustrated  by  Numerous  Wood-cuts.  By  FRED.  T.  HODGSON, 


Author  of  the  "Carpenters'  Stee!  Square." 
Note. — This  work  is  intended  as  an  elementary  introduction  for  the  use  of  those  who 
have  not  time  to  study  Mr.  Hodgson's  larger  work  on  the  same  subject. 


THE  WORKSHOP  COMPANION. 

A   Collection    of  Useful   and   Reliable    Recipes, 

Rules,    Processes,    Uletliods,    Wrinlcles, 

and    Practical    Hints, 

FOR  THE  HOUSEHOLD  »£J\*D    THE  SHOJR. 


Abyssinian  Gold:— Accidents,  General  Rules; — Alabaster,  how  to  work,  polish  and 
clean; — Alcohol; — Alloys,  rules  for  making,  and  26  recipes; — Amber,  how  to  work, 
polish  and  mend; — Annealing  and  Hardening  glass,  copper,  steel,  etc.; — Arsenical 
Soap; — Arsenical  Powder; — Beeswax,  how  to  bleach; — Blackboards,  how  to  make;  — 
Brass,  how  to  work,  polish,  color,  varnish,  whiten,  deposit  by  electricity,  clean,  etc., 
etc.  ;  —Brazing  and  Soldering; — Bronzing  brass,  wood,  leather,  etc.; — Burns,  how  to 
cure; — Case-hardening; — Catgut,  how  prepared; — Cements,  general  rules  for  using,  and 
56  recipes  for  preparing :— Copper,  working,  welding,  depositing  ;— Coral,  artificial;— 
Cork,  working; — Crayons  for  Blackboards  ; — Curling  brass,  iron,  etc.; — Liquid  Cu- 
ticle;— Etching  copper,  steel,  glass; — Eye,  accidents  to; — Fires,  to  prevent; — Clothes  on 
Fire; — Fireproof  Dresses; — Fly  Papers; — Freezing  Mixtures,  6  recipes; — Fumigating 
Pastils; — Gilding  metal,  leather,  wood,  etc.; — Glass,  cutting,  drilling,  turning  in  the 
lathe,  fitting  stoppers,  removing  tight  stoppers,  powdering,  packing,  imitating  ground 
glass,  washing  glass  vessels,  etc.  ; — Grass,  Dry,  to  stain  ; — Guns,  to  make  shoot  close, 
to  keep  from  rusting,  to  brown  the  barrels  of,  etc.,  etc. ; — Handles,  to  fasten  ;— Inks, 
rules  for  selecting  and  preserving,  and  54  recipes  for; — Ink  Eraser; — Inlaying;  —  Iron, 
forging  welding,  case-hardening,  zincing,  tinning,  do.  in  the  cold,  brightening,  etc., 
etc.;— Ivory,  to  work,  polish,  bleach,  etc.  ;— Javelle  Water ;_Jewelry  and  Gilded  Ware, 
care  of,  cleaning,  coloring,  etc. ; — Lacquer,  how  to  make  and  apply; — Laundry  Gloss ; — 
Skeleton  Leaves; — Lights,  signal  and  colored,  also  for  tableaux,  photography,  etc.,  25- 
recipes; — Lubricators,  selection  of,  4  recipes  for; — Marble,  working,  polishing,  clean- 
ing;— Metals,  polishing  ; — Mirrors,  care  of,  to  make,  pure  silver,  etc.,  etc.; — Nickel, 
to  plate  with  without  a  battery; — Noise,  prevention  of; — Painting  Bright  Metals; — 
Paper,  adhesive,  barometer,  glass,  tracing,  transfer,  waxed,  etc. ; — Paper,  to  clean,  take 
creases  out  of,  remove  water  stains,  mount  drawing  paper,  to  prepare  for  varnishing, 
etc  ,  etc. ; — Patina; — Patterns,  to  trace; — Pencils,  inde'ible; — Pencil  Marks,  to  fix; — 
Pewter;— Pillows  for  Sick  Room,  cheap  and  good  ;— ?la-,ier-of- Paris,  how  to  work;— 
Poisons,  antidotes  for,  12  recipes; — Polishing  Powders,  preparation  and  use  of  (six 
pages); — Resins,  their  properties,  etc.; — Saws,  how  to  sharpen: — Sieves; — Shellac, 
properties  and  uses  of; — Silver,  properties  of,  oxidized,  old,  cleaning,  to  remove  ink 
stains  from,  to  dissolve  from  plated  goods,  etc.,  etc. ; — Silvering  metals,  leather,  iron, 
etc.  ; — Size,  preparation  of  various  kinds  of; — Skins,  tanning  and  curing,  do  with  hair 
on; — Stains,  to  remove  from  all  kinds  of  goods; — Steel,  tempering  and  working  (six 
pages): — Tin,  properties,  methods  of  working; — Varnish,  21  recipes  for; — Varnishing, 
directions  for; — Voltaic  Batteries; — Watch,  care  of; — Waterproofing,  7  recipes  for; — 
Whitewash; — Wood  Floo.-s,  waxing,  staining,  and  polishing; — Wood,  polishing; — 
Wood,  staining,  17  recipes; — Zinc,  to  pulverize,  black  varnish  for. 

164  closely-printed  pages,  neatly  bound.     Sent  bv  mail  for  36  cents 
(postage  stamps  received). 


NEW    DESIGNS 

FOB 

Fret  or  Scroll  Sawyers. 


MR.  F.  T.  HODGSON,  whose  admirable  series  of  articles  on  the  USE  OF  THE 
SCROLL  SAW  are  now  in  course  of  publication  in  the  YOUNG  SCIENTIST,  has  pre- 
pared for  us  a  series  of 

SEVENTEEN     DESIGNS, 

of  which  the  following  is  a  list : 

No.  i. — This  shows  one  side,  back,  and  bottom,  of  a  pen  rack.  It  may  be  made 
of  ebony,  walnut,  or  other  dark  wood. 

No.  2. — Design  for  inlaying  drawer  fronts,  table  tops,  box  lids,  and  many  other 
things.  It  is  a  sumach  leaf  pattern. 

No.  3. — Design  for  a  thermometer  stand.  It  may  be  made  of  any  hard  wood  or 
alabaster.  The  method  of  putting  together  is  obvious. 

No.  4. — This  shows  a  design  for  a  lamp  screen.  The  open  part  may  be  covered 
with  tinted  silk,  or  other  suitable  material,  with  some  appropriate  device  worked  oil 
with  the  needle,  or,  if  preferred,  ornaments  may  be  painted  on  the  silk,  etc. 

No.  5. — A  case  for  containing  visiting  cards.      Will  look  best  made  of  white  holly. 

No.  6. — A  placque  stand,     it  may  be  made  of  any  kind  of  dark  01  medium  wood. 

No.  7. — A  design  for  ornaments  suitable  for  a  window  cornice.  It  should  be 
made  of  black  walnut,  and  overlaid  on  some  light  colored  hard  wood. 

No.  8 — A  design  for  a  jewel  casket.  This  will  be  very  pretty  made  of  white  holly 
and  lined  with  blue  velvet  It  also  looks  well  made  of  ebony  lined  with  crimson. 

No.  9.— Frame.       Will  look  well  made  of  any  dark  wood. 

No.  10. — Frame.  Intended  to  be  made  in  pairs.  Looks  well  made  of  white  holly, 
with  leaves  and  flowers  painted  on  wide  stile. 

No.  11. — Hovseshoe.  Can  be  made  of  any  kind  of  wood  and  used  for  a  pen  rack. 
When  decorated  with  gold  and  colors,  looks  very  handsome. 

No.  12. — Design  for  a  hinge  strap.  If  made  of  black  walnut,  and  planted  on  a 
white  or  oaken  door,  will  look  well. 

No.  13. — Design  for  a  napkin  ring.     May  be  made  of  any  kind  of  hard  wood. 

No.  14. — Hinge  strap  for  doors  with  narrow  stiles. 

No.  15. — Centre   ornament  for  panel. 

No.  16. — Corner  ornament  for  panel. 

No.  17.— Key-hole  escutcheon. 

These  designs  we  have  had  photo-lithographed  and  printed  on  good  paper,  so  that 
the  outlines  are  sharp,  and  the  opposite  sides  of  each  design  symmetrical.  Common 
designs  are  printed  from  coarse  wooden  blocks,  and  are  rough  and  unequal,  to  that 
it  is  often  impossible  to  make  good  work  from  them. 

The  series  embraces  over  forty  different  pieces,  and  designs  of  equal  quality  cannot 
be  had  for  less  than  five,  ten  or  fifteen  cents  each.         We  offer  them   for  twenty-five 
Cents  for  the  set,  which  is  an  average  price  of  only  one  cent  and  a  half  each. 
Mailed  to  any  address  on  receipt  of  price. 


SHEET  NO. 


REDUCED  FIGURES  OF 

NEW    DESIGNS    FOR    FRET    OR    SCROLL    SAWYERS. 

SIZE  OF   SHEETS   s8   BY  22    INCHES. 

\For  description  see  preceding  page.) 


Si 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 

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